Wings of a small bird
by Mariko Akera
Summary: Jasper finds a baby while out hunting and takes it back to the rest of the family. How will they react? and what exactly is this baby.   Rated T just to be on the safe side
1. Stumbling upon a small girl

**This is my first ever fanfic so I hope that I kind of did a good job...**

**disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!**

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**Jasper POV**

I was out hunting alone. Normally someone would come with me in case I came across the scent of a human during the hunt but this time I wanted to be on my own. Edward and Emmett had tried to stop me but Alice had told them it was alright. She hadn't seen anything in my future that would harm me or my family in any way. I was grateful that she trusted me even though I had slipped up so many times. She had been the one to pull me out of my misery on that faithful day in that diner. She knew me like no one else, she was the best sister and friend I could wish for.

I was pulled out of my reverie by the smell of a bear close by. I gave myself over to my senses and let them lead me to my prey. There were two bears and I devoured them both letting their carcasses fall at my feet after draining them. I didn't feel like going home just yet so I started running at nothing in particular, the burn in my throat hardly there.

I was shocked out of my thinking by a smell I was hoping not to come across. We were normally the only ones in this area apart from the Denali clan and I knew their scent by heart, so to speak. This was another vampire, from outside the family and it was close.

I made a split decision to follow the scent, it could be dangerous but I had to find out if he or she was dangerous to us. After five minutes of running another smell hit me, hard. It was the smell of human blood. I was glad that I had hunted before otherwise I wouldn't have been able to stay in control of myself. I contemplated holding my breath so I wouldn't be tempted in any way but that would also mean that I wouldn't smell the other vampire which would be dangerous. I decided to breath as little as possible so that I wouldn't be tempted but could still notice danger.

I started running again in the general direction of both smells and arrived at a gruesome sight three minutes later. Before me lay two bodies, a man and a woman. The woman had been drained dry, not a drop of blood remained inside of her. Some blood had dried up on her neck from the wound that had been made. The man was a different story, he still had all his blood but his neck had been broken. Next to the two people lay a small pile of ashes which I would recognize anywhere. They were the remains of a vampire after being burned. I was trying to figure out what had happened when I saw burn marks on the neck of the man. I crouched down and found a lighter in the man's hand. Somehow he must have known, I mused. The moment we feed, venom enters our mouths and when fire is held to that, we burst into flames. This man had done just that but had been killed anyway.

Sadness engulfed me to know that he had fought so hard and had still lost. I was wondering why he had fought anyway, he must have known he couldn't possibly win without losing his life in the process. I decided that I would honour this brave man and his wife by giving them a proper burial, or at least as proper as I could. I broke a branch from a tree and started digging a hole next to the couple. I was finished in a few seconds, carefully put the bodies in the graves and piled the earth back, creating a small hill.

I was about to turn around and head back home when a small sound made me stop. The sound was coming from behind one of the trees on the other side but I couldn't hear what it was. The wind was coming from behind me at the moment so I couldn't smell it either. I approached the thing carefully and jumped in front of the it in a crouch, preparing to attack whatever it was. What I saw wasn't anything I would ever expect. In front of me, on the ground, in a small bundle lay a small human baby girl. It seems she was just waking up because her eyes still looked sleepy. I stood there, shocked and wondering what I should do now. I couldn't leave the baby here but taking her with me wouldn't be such a good idea either.

While I was contemplating this, the baby eyes looked around and focussed on me or at least into my general direction. If I remembered correctly, babies couldn't really see that far when they were so small. I was surprised when a smile spread across her tiny face and her hands came up, grabbing the air between us. Before I knew what was happening I was holding the little girl with a small smile on my face. She felt warm in my arms and I could hear her quick heartbeat. Warm blood was flowing through her veins but the thought of hurting this small, beautiful angel in my arms hurt my soul more than I can tell.

The girl was smiling up at me, no fear in her eyes whatsoever. I noticed she had brown eyes but her hair was red with a rough curl in it which fell to her ears. It made her even more beautiful. I hugged her close, careful not to hurt her, then I started running back towards home. I looked down often to see if the baby was still ok. Every time I looked down she was smiling at me with her big brown eyes.

I slowed down to a walk when I got close to the house. I hadn't really thought of how I would explain everything to the others. Alice had probably seen what had happened but still, seeing it in a vision and seeing it for real were still two very different things. The girl squirmed in my arms and I looked down to find that the blanket had become a bit loose around her neck. I put the blanket back in place, careful not to touch her with my cold hands. As careful as I was though, she was not. She grabbed my hand and held it tight with both of her tiny hands. She didn't show any signs of being afraid and instead I could feel happiness flowing from her. She smiled at me again but this time a small laugh accompanied it. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life, and trust me when I say I have heard a lot of sounds over the years.

This sound was a melody, so beautiful. I looked at the girl fondly, not really understanding what had happened to make me care for this small creature so much in such a short time. 'Well, it's time for you to meet the family', I told the girl. 'I'm sure they'll love you, my Melody'. I hugged her as close as possible again and sprinted the short distance to the house where my family waited.

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**That was the first chapter, what did you think? I'm just asking for one positive review, if I get that I will upload the next chapter ^_^ Thanks!**

**~Marieke ~**


	2. Reactions

**Thank you so much for the reviews, adding the story to favourites and story alert! ^^ It really made me happy ^_^**

**So... on to Chapter two :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! only this story and Melody :) **

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**Jasper POV**

As I neared the house, lots of emotions hit me at once. Anger, doubt, love, hope, anticipation and some others that were mingled together. I stopped in front of the door and waited, thinking of how best to approach this. Alice had probably already seen what had happened in the forest and, according to the emotions of the others I was feeling, they weren't too happy. Alice however had a smile on her face. Ever since she had found me in that bar we had been close friends, like a real brother and sister, and she trusted me.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath, grabbed Melody a little tighter and opened the door. I felt everyone in the room staring at me but I didn't dare look up. I kept my eyes on Melody who had gone completely still, looking up at me with a questionable look in her eyes. The next thing that I felt was a shift in the emotions and I heard one of them, Rosalie, coming towards me. My head snapped up and jumped backwards out of the house before she could get any closer.

I held Melody to me protectively and glared at my family. Rosalie had stopped moving towards me as soon as I had moved backwards. She was looking at me in bewilderment. Alive looked at me expectantly and Edward was feeling angry and confused. Emmett was jumping up and down with a grin on his face and Esme and Carlisle were both looking and feeling confused.

Rosalie was the first to speak 'Jasper… can I… see her?' she asked tentatively. I looked at her in surprise. Had I just heard her correctly? Of course I had, I'm a vampire for crying out loud! My hearing was perfect. I decided to focus on my sisters emotions and tried to tune out the rest. All I could sense from Rosalie was interest, love and compassion.

I relaxed my stance a little and nodded once towards my sister. Her happiness hit me hard but I was glad that at least one of my family members might be ok with my decision to bring Melody home.

Rosalie came standing next to me and looked down at Melody. Rose her face showed only love as she looked down at the small child in my arms. I looked back at Melody and I saw that her face was lit up and she had a lovely smile on her face. I could see Rose her arms twitched in the corner of my eyes and I shifted Melody so that Rosalie could pick her out of my arms.

A wave of love hit me at that point and Melody was out of my arms before I knew what was happening. I looked at Rosalie who only had eyes for the child now resting in her arms. Esme let out a small whimper and I looked up to see her looking at Melody with longing in her eyes. She met my eyes and I gave her a small nod, knowing what she wanted. She was standing next to Rose in a flash and was holding Melody a second later. The only emotion coming from her right now as love so I knew she wasn't a threat. I couldn't sense any bloodlust from Rose and Esme either for which I was glad.

As Rosalie and Esme were busy with Melody, I turned my attention to the rest of the family. I focussed on each of their emotions in turn. Carlisle was happy, probably because Esme was looking so alive at the moment. Alice was smug about something, probably because she had been right about me not slipping up. I moved onto Emmett. He gave me a wink and a big smile, his emotions telling what his face had already told me.

Edward was a different story. He wasn't happy or smug or anything that could indicate that he would be ok with this situation. Defeat was the strongest emotion I could feel coming from him but underneath that was acceptance. I gave him a small nod '_Thank you'_ I thought to him. Edward gave a small nod in return, meaning he got my message.

Esme en Rosalie soon decided that it was too cold outside for the baby and took her inside before anyone could say anything. I followed quickly and hovered next to Esme who was looking lovingly at the small child in her arms. I could feel the love flowing from her. Not like the love she held for Carlisle or even any of us, this was the love of a mother for her child.

Even though I loved the fact that Melody was accepted into the family like this, my tension was growing by the second. I heard Edward chuckle behind me because of my thoughts and I gave him the best glare I could at the moment. 'I think you should give Melody back to Jasper.' Edward said to Esme. Esme looked up from Melody for the first time and, when she saw my anxious face, she immediately put the baby in my arms.

'Melody?' Esme questioned me. I looked down and nodded my head, feeling embarrassed, _lucky vampires can't blush!_ 'Her laugh is like a melody so that's why I gave her that name.' I explained. Esme nodded in understanding and looked down at Melody. 'Well Melody, welcome to the family.' She said smiling.

Alice interrupted us all with a loud squeak. 'We have to do a lot of shopping!' she yelled, happiness radiating from her. 'Esme, Rose, let's go!' They all ran upstairs to get their coats and purses and were back down in a second. 'We will probably be gone for a while so you guys behave alright?' Esme asked while looking us one by one in the eye. We all nodded solemnly, no one wanted to get on Esme's bad side.

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**What did you think? Review to let me know please! ^^ The next chapter will be up between now and next week ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	3. Conflict

**Thanks again for the reviews! They really make me happy ^_^ **

**Someone asked me whether Bella was going to be in this story and she is but it's going to take a few chapters to get to that :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

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**Jasper POV**

Alice, Rosalie and Esme left with the Mercedes towards the city which left us guys alone in the house with Melody. The little girl had fallen asleep but as we had no bed for her yet I held her close, making sure she wasn't cold by putting enough blankets between her and my cold arms and body.

'so', Emmett said casually. He walked up to me slowly and looked down at the little bundle in my arms. A low growl escaped my lips and Emmett stepped back. 'Calm down, I didn't want to harm little Mel or anything.' He said. I calmed down and searched his emotions. I found nothing bad though and relaxed completely. 'Sorry, I just don't want anything to happen to her.'

Emmett nodded and approached carefully again, a hopeful look in his eyes. 'Can I…. uhm… hold her?' He asked tentatively, his eyes on the floor. I was a bit surprised by his question but happy at the same time. I could feel that his bloodlust was under control. 'alright, just be careful. She's very fragile.' I answered. Emmett's face lit up as if Christmas had come early this year.

I carefully placed Melody in Emmett's waiting arms and stepped back. Emmett stood totally still, with his legs braced and his arms locked. It would have looked funny if not for the totally calm and peaceful face that Emmett was now wearing. He looked down at Melody as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world. The only other person he ever looked at like that was Rosalie. I could also feel his emotions change to brotherly love and protectiveness which made me feel secure enough to let Emmett hold her for a while.

Edward was leaning against the wall a bit to the side. I could still feel a bit of hostility coming from him and I didn't like it. 'I just don't think it's a good idea to have a human baby here, that's all.' Edward explained before I could ask anything. 'Why? I'm not forcing you to hold her of be near her or something.' 'She is a danger to us! What happens when she gets older? She'll want to know things, things we shouldn't tell her. Like why we don't eat, why we sparkle in the sun and why our skin is so cold.' Edward raged.

I could feel him letting all his emotions go about this. It felt like a wave of concern and anger which came crashing down on me. I was glad I knew how to handle this properly, otherwise I would have succumbed to them. 'We can explain it to her just fine.' I retorted. 'We don't have to tell her what we are exactly, that will come when she is old enough to keep the secret.'

'And what happens when she has an accident? When she starts bleeding? And don't tell me that you will prevent all accidents because her biting her lip could produce blood as well as falling down.' Edward shot back. I didn't know how to reply to this. He had a good point, I had to admit that. If Melody would, for some reason, start bleeding only a little, she would be in the worst possible situation. Six vampires with bloodlust was definitely not good then.

_But Carlisle would do something about that. He would grab her and get her out of our sight before anything can happen. He would never let us do something we would regret later. _I looked at Edward but he just looked back, no reaction what so ever. His emotions did change a little. A bit of the anger he had felt had left him but his concern was as strong as ever.

'I still think that the exposure risk to us is to big together with the risk to lose control.' Edward said after a few seconds.' I wanted to reply to that but he beat me to it. 'And don't say Carlisle will be able to sort it all out if something happens, he's not always around.' I started thinking about a good reply to his comment when Carlisle cleared his throat to get our attention. I tried to read Carlisle's emotions but couldn't really get a hold on them, he was hiding his feelings well.

'I believe that we will have to discuss what will happen now.' Carlisle said, dropping what felt like a bomb into the living room. I saw Emmett holding Melody closer to his chest and felt his emotions change from love and caring to protectiveness. 'What do you mean by that Carlisle?' I asked weary. 'We have to take everything into account. ' Carlisle said.

'First of all, I am proud of you Jasper.' I could feel the truth of his words because a wave of pride washed over me like a warm blanket. 'I must admit that we, me included, have always considered you as the weakest link and here you are, proving us all wrong. We do however need to think of what is the best course of action now. Are we going to keep the baby? Or are we going to find a good home for her to live?' Carlisle said the last part in a small voice and I saw his eyes flicker to Melody. We all nodded at his words though and I sat down to think. Emmett handed Melody back to me and went outside, probably to hunt. It was his way to deal with difficult situations. Edward moved towards his piano and started playing softly. I looked away from him while trying to ignore Edward's feelings that continued to be hostile. I looked down at the sleeping child in my arms and sighed. I knew what the best option was for Melody, but what was the best option for me?

**Esme POV**

A baby! A real life, human baby! Who would have thought! I was so happy I could burst. Of course I love my children but I haven't been able to raise them from the beginning. I was also very proud of my youngest son. We had all been afraid of him slipping when he went away on his own today but instead, he had surprised us all by coming home with a human child. He was holding her so close but seemed completely in control of his thirst. I knew that Carlisle would want to discuss this all with me but I refused to think about what he might say just yet.

Rosalie was positively glowing beside me. She probably felt the same way I did. If she could, she would give up everything she now had to have a child. This however was impossible. Having a strange baby in the house wasn't like having a baby of your own but it sure did make things better. Alice was bouncing up and down in the back of the car. She had no memories of her human days whatsoever and she never mentioned she wanted a child. Alice was as excited about Melody as Rosalie and I were though. She just sees it all in a different light. For her, Melody is an excuse to go shopping and buy lots of different outfits for the little girl. To Alice, Melody was her very own Barbie.

We arrived in the city in record time and I parked the Mercedes in the underground parking lot. It wasn't entirely clouded over today so we had decided on the way here that we would limit ourselves to the department store resting above this parking lot in case the sun would make its appearance.

Alice was bouncing around like mad, dragging us from store to store, the amount of bags growing with every store we left. We ended up spending more money in one afternoon than one household would be able to spend in a whole month.

We stuffed everything in the car and made our way back home. I looked in my rear mirror and noticed Alice had almost entirely disappeared under the amount of packages we had bought. Rosalie was sitting next to me again and was looking down at three different sets of clothing. I could see fluid in her eyes, tears that she would never be able to cry.

The moment I stopped the car in front of the house, all the guys came out to help us bring everything inside. I noticed Jasper wasn't with them so I assumed he was with Melody. I saw Edward nod when he heard my thoughts and a small, proud smile once again spread across my face.

We brought everything inside and decided to set up the baby bed in Jasper's room. Rosalie was against this but as Jasper didn't want Melody out of his sight if he could help it, we had no other choice. When we came down Carlisle motioned for me to follow him. 'We're going hunting.' I announced to the others. 'Don't destroy anything while we're gone.' My gaze lingered on Emmett who huffed. 'It wasn't my fault entirely the last time…' he grumbled. I smiled at my children, then went after Carlisle in the forest.

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**Let me know what you think so far!**

**~Marieke~**


	4. Wings

**Thanks again for all the reviews! They make me really happy ^_^ **

**So, here's chapter four, enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I only own Melody, the rest is sadly not mine...**

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**Jasper POV**

'It's too dangerous!' Rosalie said furiously. We were all sitting in the living room now. Rosalie's anger was hitting me hard but the thing I was worried about more was the guilt coming from Carlisle and Esme. They had felt guilty about something ever since they had come back from their trip into the forest.

Melody had been changed and fed and was once again in my arms. I had given her to Esme and Rosalie for the changing and feeding part, figuring women would be better at it than me. I had paid close attention though so that I might be able to do it myself next time. Rosalie had reluctantly handed Melody back to me but only because Esme told her to do so. They had also found a large eagle feather in the blankets that had been wrapped around Melody but we didn't really know where it had come from. Melody was now holding the feather as if it was something precious to her.

'He is the one with the least control over the bloodlust and we're going to let a human baby sleep in his room?' Rosalie kept on ranting and ranting but I tuned out. She could say whatever she wanted, I was not going to give Melody up to anyone. Alice gasped and I looked at her to see her pull out of a vision. She jumped in between Rosalie and me quickly before whatever she had seen could actually happen. 'Rosalie does have a point.' She said. I growled at her in response but Alice ignored me. 'but, I do believe we should give Jasper a chance to prove himself.' I stared at her and mouthed a thank you. Alice just nodded and a slight smile appeared on her face.

Rosalie however growled at the both of us and her emotions became hostile in a second. 'Alice move!' I ordered as I sank into a defensive crouch holding Melody close and out of Rosalie's range. I did notice feelings of love coming from Rosalie towards Melody but it was hidden behind the hostility. A snarl erupted from Rosalie and she prepared to jump at me. Emmett stepped behind her just before she jumped and held her back. Carlisle stepped in between us and held his hands stretched towards me and Rosalie.

'Stop this right now!' He didn't raise his voice but the way he said it was enough for both Rosalie and me to get out of our crouch. 'Esme and I have talked about what to do and we have agreed that it is in the best interest of Melody that she would go to a human family. Don't look at me like that Jasper, we don't want her to go either but this is the best option for her. She deserves a normal life.' I wanted to protest, but the dry sob coming from Esme stopped me. She was feeling really bad about this, maybe as bad as I felt.

Alice came standing beside me and put a hand on my arm in comfort. 'I'm so sorry Jazz.' She said. I couldn't look at anyone in the room at the moment so instead focussed on Melody. She was looking at me with her big brown eyes as if knowing how I felt and willing me to feel better. I felt an unfamiliar pricking in my eyes and it took me a second to realise that if I would be still human I would probably be crying now. Melody seemed to notice something was wrong because she put up her little hands and reached for my face. I bent down towards her so she could reach me and closed my eyes. She had only been with me for two days but I would miss her very much. I didn't have to look at my family to know that they felt the same, but a human living with vampires just wasn't an option.

**Carlisle POV**

Sitting and waiting at the orphanage was not one something I enjoyed. Not because of the proximity of the humans around me, I was used to this from the hospital, but because of the waves of hostility coming from Jasper. He had insisted on coming with Esme and me to put Melody up for adoption. We had tried to talk him out of it but seeing as Melody kept crying every time we tried to leave without Jasper, we had no choice but to let him come with us.

'Doctor Cullen?' a human woman called from a small office. I looked at her and smiled 'yes, we're here'. I replied standing up and motioning for Jasper to follow. He had not gotten up when we were called and I knew that this was going to be hard.

The woman sat down behind her desk and motioned for us to sit down on the other side. Esme and I sat down but Jasper stayed standing near the door. 'Please, sit down sir.' The woman said to Jasper, once again motioning to one of the chairs in front of her desk. 'I'm fine standing, thank you.' He replied, not moving an inch. 'We have to discuss a few things and papers have to be signed so you might be more comfortable if you sit down.' Jasper just shook his head and kept standing near the door. I shook my head once really fast so the woman wouldn't see it but I knew Jasper had because his response was a hiss too low for a human to hear. Melody however giggled and I wondered for a brief second whether she had heard the hiss from Jasper.

'So, let's start.' The woman said, apparently she had decided it was best to let Jasper stand. 'My name is Angela Stewards, you can call me Angela, and I am the director of this orphanage.' Angela held out her hand and Esme and I shook it. 'My name is Carlisle Cullen, this is my wife Esme and our son Jasper.' I motioned to Esme and Jasper in turn. Esme smiled and introduced herself and Jasper just nodded once.

I could once again feel waves of hostility flowing from Jasper and I could see it was affecting Angela as well. Her face was pained and her breathing became a bit laboured. 'Ok, as stated here you have come to put a young girl named Melody up for adoption is that correct?' Angela asked, focussing on me and Esme and avoiding Jasper who by now was staring at her with murderous eyes. I sighed and focussed on Angela. 'Yes that is correct.' I answered her. 'We believe she is about six months old. Our son' I motioned to Jasper 'found her while walking in the forest.' 'And the parents?' Angela asked. I looked at Esme and she smiled lightly before turning to Angela. 'We found blood near the place we found Melody but nothing else. We believe that the parents were in some kind of accident and might have died.' Esme explained. Angela nodded and grabbed some papers for us to fill in.

**Jasper POV**

Carlisle and Esme were busy reading and sighing various papers and forms. Each paper they sighed took Melody further away from me and it was killing me. I looked down at her for the millionth time in the last few minutes and she had gone from smiling at me to looking worried.

'That was the last one.' Angela's voice pierced my thoughts as if a pole had been pushed through my dead heart. I looked up to see Angela shake hands with Carlisle and Esme. She then turned to me and smiled. Her smile only made me more hostile and I pulled Melody closer. 'Jasper, son, please give Melody to Angela.' Carlisle coaxed me. Angela moved slowly towards me and stopped about a meter away from me. She held out her hands as a gesture to give Melody to her but I still held her close. 'Jasper, honey, you know it is the best thing to do.' Esme said, pleading me with her eyes and emotions.

I sighed internally and looked down at Melody one last time. 'Well then, this is it… goodbye my angel' I said, softly kissing her forehead. I looked up at Angela and held Melody up to her. Angela took Melody expertly into her arms and held her close. I felt empty as soon as Melody was out of my arms and Esme pulled me into a fast but motherly hug. Her emotions told me that she was having a hard time letting Melody go and I was glad that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. I would have the support of my family in this case.

Esme looked at Melody one more time then pulled me with her out of the door closely followed by Carlisle. The door closed behind us and I just stood there not able to move or say anything. Carlisle put his hand on my free shoulder, Esme still had an arm around my other shoulder, and was about to say something when feelings of extreme sadness and fear filled my entire being. My head snapped up and towards the feelings which were coming from behind Angela's office door.

I tried to focus on the feelings to see whether they were coming from Angela of Melody but before I could Angela screamed at the top of her longs. I didn't think twice about anything and pulled the door to the office open before Carlisle or Esme could stop me. The only thing that was going through my head was getting Melody away from Angela as soon as possible but before I could do that a small bundle literally flew into my arms and snuggled close. I looked down to see Melody smile up at me, a twinkle in her eyes. Waves of happiness came from her and I automatically hugged her closer.

A wave of fear washed over me again and I looked up to see Angela sitting on the floor, her back against her desk, with a horrified look on her face. I didn't understand her feelings until I realised what had just happened. Melody had flown into my arms with no help from someone what so ever. I looked away from the terrified Angela and back to Melody. This time I didn't look at her face but focussed on her back. Two small wings came from her back and were now folded neatly inwards like the wings of an angel. The wings were a mix of different shades of brown just like the feather we had found in the blankets she had been wrapped in.

Only then did I notice that Esme and Carlisle had entered with me and were both looking down at Melody in shock. Carlisle recovered first and went over to Angela to help her up and sat her down in her chair. She was still in shock and was looking at Melody as if she was a demon. 'Dear, maybe you should take Melody towards the car and wait for us there.' Esme said. I nodded and turned to leave but Esme called me back and held out a blanket. 'You should put this over Melody's wings just in case you run into someone.' I nodded and bundled Melody in the blanket securely before exiting the room.

**Carlisle POV**

Angela was completely freaked out and frozen in the position she had been in since I had put her on her chair. Her mouth was half open, her eyes were wide with fear and she was pointing her right hand towards the spot Jasper had been standing a second before.

My medical training kicked in and I took a small flashlight from my pocket to check whether her pupils were responsive and I checked her pulse. Her pupils reacted normally and here heartbeat was a bit too fast but nothing dangerous. She was clearly in shock though and I wondered what we could do to make her forget what she had just witnessed.

'Angela?' Esme asked carefully. Angela didn't give any sign that she heard Esme and just kept staring and pointing towards the door. I grabbed her out stretched hand gently and lowered it for her. This caught her attention and she slowly melted from her shocked position. 'Doctor Cullen?' Angela asked in a whisper. 'Yes Angela, it's me. Could you please follow the light with your eyes so I can check nothing is wrong?' Angela nodded slowly and did what I asked. Her reaction was normal for which I was relieved and the small examination made her relax a little bit more.

She tensed up in a second though, looking from me to Esme to the door again. 'The child… Melody… she… wings…' I looked concerned at Angela, she didn't seem able to create a normal sentence. 'I think you didn't see clearly my dear.' Esme said putting her hand on Angela's shoulder lightly and giving her a warm smile. Angela turned her head slowly towards Esme and looked at her with unbelieving eyes before she once again turned her head towards the door.

I shook my head and cleared my throat to get Angela's attention again. She once again turned her head towards me and a light smile spread across her face. 'I'm losing my mind, aren't I? Babies with wings don't exist, do they? I should have gone on vacation when my boss told me but nooo I had to keep on going saying that I didn't need it yet.' She was rambling by now with her head in her hands.

I made a split decision and decided to go along with the story Angela had created herself. 'As Esme had said earlier, it could be you just didn't see it clearly.' Angela looked up to me again and slowly nodded her head before putting her head back in her hands.

I was contemplating whether to call an ambulance when she stood up all of a sudden and started walking towards the door mumbling about going to her boss to ask for a vacation. Esme and I were left standing in the office. Esme was the first to react. She walked to the desk swiftly and was holding all the papers we had signed in her hand a second later. I nodded swiftly, grabbed her free hand and we ran as fast as possible for humans out of the building and to the car in which Jasper was waiting for us.

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**That was the longest chapter so far. So... Melody's development... Like/Dislike Love/hate? Let me know please!**

**~Marieke~**


	5. Lost visions

**Thanks again for al the reviews!**

**As it's my birthday, this chapter is a treat from me as it is kind of hard to give everyone cake :)**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

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**Jasper POV**

The hallway was completely deserted but I decided it was better to walk at a fast human pace to the door in case someone came in. Luckily the exit was close so I was standing outside two minutes later.

The fresh air cleared my head a bit so I could think straight. The worst day of my life had taken a turn for the better. Melody wasn't going to an orphanage because Carlisle and Esme couldn't seriously think of letting her life with a human family after what had happened. I smiled a bit to myself which Melody seemed to notice because one of her tiny hands reached up and touched the right corner of my mouth before a smile spread across her own face.

I walked swiftly to the car, unlocked it and climbed in the back. The first thing I noticed when I shut the door was that Melody's smell had changed. She smelled a bit different from normal humans now. It was a mix of the fresh smell of rain after a dry period, roses and lilies.

The temperature in the car was nice and I decided that removing the blanket from Melody would do no harm. As soon as I removed the blanket, Melody spread her wings out behind her, stretching them after being bundled up. She flapped her wings twice before folding them neatly on her back once again. She looked up at me and flashed me her brilliant smile, her white teeth shining up at me.

_Wait… teeth!_ I thought in shock. I shut my eyes, took an unnecessary deep breath and slowly opened them again. I was met with a concerned look from Melody. She held her head a bit to the side as if asking whether I was alright, a lock of her hair falling in her eyes. I smiled at her and put the hair back in place. She giggled as my hand lightly brushed her face and tickled her which showed her teeth again.

Carlisle and Esme came back a view minutes later not showing anything on their faces, but their emotions told me more than enough. Esme was scared but happy, Carlisle was mostly calm as usual but underneath that lay the same emotions as Esme had combined with determination.

They both got in the car quickly and we were on our way back to the house in no time. We didn't talk for a while but as we got closer to the house the emotions coming from my parents grew until I couldn't take it anymore. 'Carlisle, Esme, please… what happened back there after I left?' Esme looked at Carlisle for a second before turning to me. She quickly explained what had happened with Angela. I noticed Melody gripping my t-shirt harder every time Esme mentioned Angela.

I wrapped Melody back in the blanket when we turned onto small twisting road that led to the house, no need to scare the rest of the family just yet.

The moment we arrived back at the house the others ran towards us and all but pulled me out of the car. All four of them stood around me, relief coming from them in strong waves. I could feel that Alice couldn't take it anymore, but before I could ask what was wrong she jumped at me and hugged me tight.

'You're alive!' she squealed bouncing up and down while still holding me tight. The motion of Alice's bouncing shook Melody which made her giggle. Alice let go of me immediately and looked at my arms where the little girl was still clinging on to me. 'Melody?... but I though.' Alice her face went blank in a second and stayed that way.

I turned my attention to the others. 'What did she mean with "you're alive"?' I asked. Emmett, Rosalie and Edward looked at each other before turning back to me. Rosalie took an extra breath before she explained. 'Alice had a vision… in which you disappeared, completely… We thought that you were gone…' she sounded like she normally did but I could feel the pain from the memory creeping into her. 'Well as you can see I'm fine.' I said with a smile to ensure them that nothing was wrong. Emmett bounced up to me, literally, and slapped me on my shoulder. 'Glad that you're ok bro.' he said grinning.

Alice snapped out of her trance a second later, shaking her head slightly. 'I don't understand! I still cannot see your future, not any of it.' Before I could reply to this, Carlisle spoke. 'I believe a family meeting is in order.' Edward nodded with a grim look on his face, having already heard what had happened in our heads. Alice looked at me and concern was the only emotion I could feel coming from her. 'Sis, calm down, I'm alive and well so don't worry about me.' She nodded slowly but her emotions stayed the same.

We gathered around the dinner table, which we only really used for family meetings as we don't eat. Carlisle sat at the head of the table with Esme on his left side and Edward on his right. Rosalie sat next to Esme and Emmett next to her. Alice sat down on the other side of Edward and I sat down next to her. I turned Melody so that she sat on my lap facing the others, her head only just sticking above the table, her eyes taking in everyone. Rosalie and Emmett both smiled at the little girl at which she smiled back at them, showing her teeth. I could sense shock coming from them both but their faces didn't betray anything. They probably didn't want to alert the others or let Melody feel bad.

Carlisle cleared his throat and everyone turned their attention to him, even Melody. She grabbed one of my hands with both her tiny ones and held on tight. I was surprised by her strength because I could actually feel her grip. It wasn't painful but also not something a normal grown-up human would be able to do let alone a six months old baby. I saw Edward look at me questioningly but he didn't say anything.

'We have to discuss what has happened today.' Carlisle began, effectively grabbing Edward's attention again. 'As you know we' Carlisle motioned to himself, Esme and me 'went to the orphanage today to put Melody up for adoption'. I felt Melody tighten her grip on my hand when Carlisle spoke of the orphanage and I began to wonder whether she understood what Carlisle was saying. Her big brown eyes were focussed on Carlisle as if she didn't want to miss anything he said.

'We had agreed that it would be the best for Melody' Rosalie hissed at this 'but, as you might have guessed, things didn't go as planned.' Carlisle stopped here and motioned for me to continue. Everyone turned their heads to me but stayed quiet. Alice looked and felt annoyed by something and I had the feeling it had something to do with my missing future. I once again took an unnecessary breath; I was doing that a lot lately, and began my part of the story.

The moment I mentioned the wings on Melody's back and the fact that she had teeth all of a sudden made the emotions in the room go haywire. Rosalie was shocked, Emmett was weirdly happy and Alice was amazed but also still annoyed. Edward, Carlisle and Esme's emotions stayed the same as they already knew what had happened; Edward had all seen it in our thoughts so it was no shock to him.

'Show us.' Rosalie said smiling at Melody. Melody released my hand and turned her head towards me as if asking whether it was alright. I nodded and she held her arms up so that I could remove the blanket easily. By now I was certain that when the wings came her intelligence had taken a jump forward but I wasn't sure yet how that had worked.

As soon as the blanket was off, Melody stretched her wings like before in the car but this time she didn't fold them on her back. She flapped them a view times before lifting herself up in the air and carefully flying over to Rosalie. Happiness flowed from Rosalie as Melody flew towards her and she opened her arms for the little girl. Melody flew into her arms and Rosalie held her tight, burying her face in Melody her red curls. I felt contentment mix in with her happiness and I couldn't help but let a smile spread across my own face.

'So… now what?' Emmett asked, pulling me out of my reverie. 'Well, we can't put her up for adoption now.' Esme said looking thoughtful. 'So that means I have a new baby sister?' Emmett asked smiling from ear to ear. 'I guess that is the only option left.' Carlisle said. I already knew that this would be the conclusion as Melody couldn't possibly go to a human family, but I was still happy that Carlisle actually said it.

'I still don't understand…' Alice chirped in getting the focus on herself. 'I saw your future disappear Jasper… I still can't see your future now… I also couldn't see the change Melody would go through … I don't understand.' She shook her head from side to side as if trying to shake my future back into her head the way it was before.

_I'm sorry… I think the erased future is my fault…_

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**So... what did you think? Let me know! ^_^**

**On a different note. I have posted an original story on the website .com. Summary of the story:**

**"The land is ruled by one emperor. An evil magic user who suppresses all the people who live within his domain. Escaping is almost impossible and any magic users walking free are killed. One man decides to rebel against the emperor, this is his story"**

**If anyone would like to read it this is the link: .com/s/2857622/1/ (just copy it to the address bar of your browser).  
At the moment the prologue, chapter 1 and chapter 2 are up but chapter 3 will be up soon :)**

**~Marieke~ **


	6. Officially welcome

**Everyone who has reviewed, THANK YOU! ^_^**

**Chapter 6, enjoy ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything, only Melody...**

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_I'm sorry… I think the erased future is my fault…_

**Jasper POV**

My head snapped from Alice to Melody who was looking at me from Rosalie's arms. Guilt was coming from her but the more pronounced emotion coming from her was amusement, probably at my shock. I slowly looked around at the others but all they did was look at me with bewildered eyes and Emmett was looking at me as if I had gone crazy. Edward was the only one looking at Melody like I was.

'No one heard that?' I asked softly. I knew that whispering or anything in that direction was completely useless in a house full of vampires but somehow I couldn't get my voice to work properly. The others just shook their head slowly, for vampires, and kept staring at me. Edward however nodded his head and turned to the rest of the family.

'Jasper just heard a voice in his head… and I believe that voice is coming from Melody.' Edward explained a bit of resentment colouring his voice. At Edward's words, everyone turned their heads as one towards Melody. Her little cheeks turned a deep red from all the attention and she flew back to me, hiding her face in my chest.

_I'm sorry…_ the same voice as before said in my head. 'It's alright small one.' I said stroking her hair. I let my emotions flow to her, letting her know that I meant what I had said. She visibly relaxed and turned slowly to look at my family before looking up at me. _Will you talk for me please? I can't tell you everything but I can tell you what I know._ I nodded and motioned for her to start.

_I'm not sure what my race is called or where we came from but I do know that we have certain defences against enemies. I remember my mother vaguely and there is one thing that she told me about our race. We don't grow wings until we feel danger is coming or when we get emotionally stressed. The moment we change we grow wings, as you can see, our teeth grow instantly, our strength increases noticeably and our intelligence increases as well. We also recall what happened from the day we are born unlike humans who never recall their first few years. _

I conveyed everything to the rest of my family while thinking it all through at the same time. I didn't really listen to what I said myself. A positive thing about being vampire is that my brain can convey words while not paying attention and still get it right. Carlisle cleared his throat bringing me out of my thinking. 'Melody, do you understand what we are saying?' Carlisle asked Melody directly. Melody turned around in my lap and nodded her head towards Carlisle. 'But you can't speak to me in your head?' Carlisle continued. Melody shook her head slightly and looked down at her hands as if thinking.

After a few seconds she turned her head up to me and once again her voice entered my mind. _I can't do it now, but maybe as I grow older._ I told Carlisle this and he smiled a little. 'Well, I guess only time can tell.' He said before his face turned thoughtful again.

'It still doesn't explain what happened to Alice her visions though and why I'm not able to hear her thoughts for that matter'. Edward interjected. I nodded and looked at Melody. 'You said this might be your fault, what did you mean by that?'

_I'm not sure, but Alice said that your future disappeared and I'm thinking that happened the moment I changed… What was the last thing she saw?_ I asked Alice this question and she and Edward answered at the same time. 'You walked out of a door, turned your head and then… nothing.' 'The moment I went to get Melody from that orphanage lady…' I whispered. 'So does this mean you can't see me because my life is intertwined with hers?' I asked.

'I think so, yes. I'm also afraid that as soon as she starts living here I won't be able to see any of your futures…' Alice said, ending her sentence in a whisper. Alice her visions were important to her, I knew that, but it was also dangerous to the family if we couldn't rely on her visions. In the past, we have been able to avoid certain situations thanks to them. Maybe when Melody can talk to Alice in her mind will she be able to see Melody? Because they would be much closer then… 'You've got something there.' Edward interjected, successfully stopping my train of thought.

'Well, glad that that is solved then… wouldn't want to miss the big conclusion.' Emmett said annoyed. He put his elbow on the table and started leaning his cheek on his fist with his cheek with an annoyed look on his face. Melody giggled at this and immediately Emmett's face softened. I knew Emmett was already seeing Melody as his little sister and would do anything to protect her. Emmett was the best big brother a little girl could ask for.

Edward sighed at Emmett and started talking about the idea he had. 'Our powers' he gestured to Alice and himself 'work mentally. I'm guessing that Melody has some kind of shield that keeps all mental gifts out. What Jasper was just thinking was that if Melody is able to communicate with either Alice or me that we would be able to use our gifts on her as well. Something like magic reacting to magic.'

'You might have something there.' Carlisle said thoughtfully. He turned to Melody again 'I know that it is your own choice, but could you try and let Alice hear your thoughts as soon as you are able? We need her visions of the future if we want to keep on living with humans near us.' Melody nodded _I'll do my best but I can't promise anything._

Carlisle nodded after I told him this. 'That is all we are asking.' He said with a smile. 'We have one more thing to discuss though; Melody will have to be registered somehow. She will need legal guardians to do that… Jasper?' Carlisle looked at me for an answer but I didn't have one.

I was a bit shocked; I loved Melody and wouldn't want her to go anywhere else but to be her guardian… to become her father for all intents and purposes? I was starting to panic; I had no idea what was the right decision for me, for Melody, for the family. _Jasper? _I didn't have to look at Melody to know she was worried, I could feel the worry flowing out of her, but before I could ask what was wrong, she continued. _If it's alright with you, I would like Carlisle and Esme to become my parents…_ I looked at her confused and felt a little hurt. She would pick them over me? Why? _Carlisle is the head of this family and Esme is his wife so it would be logical for them to be my parents. You would be too young to be my legal parent after all._ She explained before I could voice my thoughts.

I told the others what Melody had told me and happiness radiated from Esme. She opened her arms as an invitation to Melody. The little girl accepted instantly and Esme hugged her tight, love now intermingling with her happiness. 'Son, are you ok with this?' Carlisle asked concerned. I nodded 'I think I'm better at the whole big brother thing than at begin a dad. I'll leave the parenting to you although I would like to play some part in it.' I explained. 'Of course honey, I don't think Melody would want to have it any other way.' Esme said, though she didn't look away from Melody while saying it.

'Well, I believe this family meeting is over.' Carlisle announced. 'Melody, welcome to the family'

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**Tell me what you think about this chapter :) I love reviews so the more, the better :D**

**In the AN at the end of the last chapter I wrote something about my own original story but the link I poster failed... only the last half of the link appeared online... so this time I've posted the link to my story 'Kibo' on my profile here :) Anyone who is interested, please read (and maybe review? ^_^)**

**~Marieke~**


	7. Birthday surprises

**Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing! **

**I want to especially thank Angeleyenc, Isabel Southwell and Dreaming-Of-Jace who have reviewed all my chapters so far. It really means a lot to me ^_^**

**And now, here is the next chapter! ^_^ enjoy.**

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**Jasper POV**

'I still can't feel a thing!' Alice yelled from inside the house. I sighed, it had been five and a half years since Melody had joined our family and for five and a half years Alice had been agitated because she didn't have her visions. Well that wasn't true; she did have visions, just not about anyone from the family which meant no warnings about approaching danger either.

After Melody had been accepted into the family we moved away from Alaska and to a very remote area near a small town called Winthrop in Washington State. We lived to the north of this town and were able to go to easily Okanogan national Forest which gave us great opportunities to hunt. Humans did enter the forest but never near where we were hunting.

Esme loved the new house and spend the first year and a half decorating it, outside and in. We all had our own rooms which she had decorated according to our personal tastes. Melody has her room next to mine and it is connected with a door so that I can get to her if something is up. The door never actually closes but that's beside the point.

Carlisle had once again started working at the local hospital but we hadn't enrolled in high school this time. Rosalie and Emmett just didn't want to, Alice was too annoyed to go and Edward didn't want to go if the rest of us weren't going either. I didn't go because whenever I went away to long, Melody would get miserable to a point not even the combined powers of Esme, Rosalie and Alice could do something about it.

Alice came storming out of the house just as I was about to ask why she had tried to have get a vision again. 'Why won't she communicate with me?' Alice asked, hurt underlining her words. 'I'm sorry…' Melody said, a bit of guilt coming from her. Alice shook her head 'It's not your fault little one.' She said, skipping over to Melody and lifting her up.

Five and a half years ago Melody had said she would try to communicate with Alice before the others seeing as we needed her visions. I knew she had really tried but the only ones besides me she could now communicate mentally with were Esme and Rosalie who she had taken a liking to. She preferred to talk to them in a normal way though as everyone could hear this. I was the only one she spoke to mentally mostly because she had found a new power, to hear my thoughts. This way we could communicate in silence.

Edward was the only one who had become more and more annoyed with Melody. He couldn't read her thoughts because of some sort of shield and Melody was now also able to shield me too. She kept the shield on me at all times, knowing how I hated the fact that Edward could hear my every thought. Edward had been extremely mad when I told him about this. He didn't want people to keep secrets from him, he wasn't used to that. It had taken Emmett, Rosalie and Carlisle's combined strength to hold him down until he relaxed.

'Jasper! Hello!' Alice her voice pierced my thoughts and I looked up at her from my spot on the ground. 'What?' I asked stupidly. I was a bit ashamed that I hadn't paid attention to what she was saying. 'I asked whether you wanted to come with Rosalie and me to the mall.' She huffed, clearly offended by my lack of attention earlier. 'Why would you think I would want to go to the mall?' I asked completely confused. Everyone knows that I dislike shopping as much as the next guy, so why bother to ask.

'Because Melody's birthday is coming up and we thought you might want some help picking her gift.' Alice looked very smug since she knew she had me cornered. Over the past few years, Melody had tried to remember things about the first six months of her life and about her race but all she had been able to remember so far was her birthday when she was almost two years old. We had given her a birthday party from the moment she remembered her birthday but it had become harder and harder to find a suitable present for her. Melody her intelligence had kept growing faster than that of a normal human and her interest changed quickly from childlike things to more mature things.

As much as cared for Melody, I had no idea what to give her for her birthday this year. She was turning six in two days and I was seriously at a loss to what a six year old girl with the intelligence of a teenager would want to have. The biggest problem was that Alice couldn't see what anyone was going to give to Melody which made her frustrated every year. I didn't understand why though, she loved shopping and this gave her a great excuse to go extra long since she had no foreknowledge.

I sighed and got up. _No getting out of this one_ I sighed to myself. _Can I come too?_ Melody asked me silently. I shook my head which made her pout. 'What's wrong?' Alice asked concerned. 'Nothing, she just wants to come along but that's impossible.' I told Alice.

Melody had grown like any other person but in her case her wings had grown too and they were kind of conspicuous. 'I'm sorry honey.' I said letting her feel that I truly was sorry and ruffling her long hair. Her dark red curls now came down to her waist as only the ends were cut sometimes. 'She should really get…' I started saying but Alice covered my mouth with her tiny hand before I could finish my sentence.

'There will be no cutting of Melody's hair. I know it's long but she's fine with it and it looks so gorgeous.' Alice stated before turning away from me and skipping into the house yelling Rosalie's name. I sighed and trotted after her feeling miserable. Being forced to go shopping with Alice was definitely one of the worst things that could happen in the Cullen family.

**Alice POV**

A birthday, the best excuse ever to go shopping. When I proposed going shopping for a gift for Melody, Rosalie instantly agreed. We both sat down to think about a plan to get one of the boys to come with us. We didn't really need one of them for company, more for carrying bags and such. Rosalie came with the best option which was Jasper. She knew he didn't have a gift for Melody yet and suggesting he might need our help was a great plan.

I couldn't see whether the plan was actually going to work which frustrated me to no end but after Jasper had reluctantly agreed to come with us, I was happy again. 'Rose! He agreed to come with us!' I yelled happily. Rosalie was at my side in an instant. 'Alright, let's go then.' She said with gleaming eyes.

'Esme, can you watch Melody for a while?' Jasper asked from behind us. Esme appeared next to me and took Melody from me. Melody hugged Esme tight before turning in her arms and waving goodbye to us. 'Bye little one, we'll get you a great birthday present.' Rosalie cooed, then followed me outside.

The drive to the mall would have been fun if it wasn't for the clearly irritated vampire sitting in the back of the car. 'Jasper, you're projecting!' I snapped at him, feeling irritated because of him. I saw Jasper shrug in the back mirror and felt the irritation leaving me a second later. Rosalie relaxed visibly beside me too, being irritated didn't work well for her.

It was a cloudy day so we, as in Rosalie and me, decided to go to different malls and shopping centres, much to the dismay of Jasper. We went from shop to shop the entire morning and afternoon. With every store we left, the number of bags increased. Jasper carried them all without complaining verbally. Nonverbal was a different story, he kept shooting us death glares and projected hatred at us both every now and then.

The last shop we went into was a jewellery store. Rose and I immediately went to look at the different earrings, bracelets and necklaces while Jasper waited in a chair near the exit with all our bags. I sighed and walked to him. 'Jazz, you haven't found anything for Melody yet, shouldn't you at least look around?' 'I guess so, though you two were supposed to help me remember!' he exclaimed, waving his hand to Rose and me to make his point.

I did feel kind of guilty that we hadn't been extremely helpful in his search for a present. We had mostly run around the stores picking things we liked and, after paying, we had dumped them on Jasper. 'I'm sorry Jazz, I really am.' I said sincerely. Jasper sighed and stood up warily. 'I'm not good with jewellery, at all.' He confessed hanging his head a little.

Even though I was younger than him, in vampire years as well as human years, I kind of felt like the big sister now. 'Come on, just look around, and when you find something just call for Rose or me and we will help you.' I told him before skipping towards Rosalie who was holding the most amazing necklace I had seen so far. You can say whatever you want, but Tiffany's does have great things.

**Jasper POV**

Alice skipped away towards Rosalie who was holding a very expensive looking necklace. I was guessing that she would leave it now and come back with Emmett to buy it; she loved it when her husband bought her stuff.

I sighed and turned to the matter at hand, finding a present for Melody. I decided that Alice her advise would be my best option, just look at everything. I was halfway through the store, and getting sick of the lust coming from the young woman behind the counter, when I saw it, a white golden charm bracelet.

'Alice, Rose. I think I found something.' The girls came to me immediately and followed my eyes to the bracelet. 'Jazz, it's perfect.' Alice said, pride colouring her tone. I bet she never thought I would be able to shop for a gift properly without her visions to help. 'You should buy this charm too.' Rosalie said, pointing to a small yellow golden charm in the shape of a pair of wings.

_Perfect _I thought finally feeling happy that I went shopping with the girls today for the first time. The saleslady was more than happy to help and wrapped the gift for me in nice beige paper. I had finally found the perfect gift for Melody and the day of shopping was over. I thought this day could only get better when Alice gasped next to me.

**Alice POV**

I was looking at Jasper's happy face when I was abruptly pulled into a vision.

_We were all in the living room. There were balloons everywhere and a large birthday cake stood in the middle of the table. Melody was hovering an inch above the table looking expectantly to Esme. Esme told her something, she inhaled deep and then…_

The vision ended without having an ending which made me confused. 'Alice, are you alright? What did you see?' Jasper asked in a trained way. He had been with me almost from the beginning of my vampire life and knew what to do when I had a vision. I wanted to answer him but before I could I was pulled into another vision.

_It was the same day, the same birthday. The only difference was that for some reason everyone was standing opposite Melody was covered with cake. The colours indicated it was probably the cake that had been on the table in the previous vision. Melody was looking guilty at everyone before flying towards Jasper who held her tight, saying everything was alright._

I pulled out of the vision again to see a worried Jasper and Rosalie standing in front of me. 'Alice, what did you see?' Jasper asked again. 'I saw… Melody's birthday… something will happen then.' I said, trying to remember both visions perfectly. 'What happens at the birthday?' Jasper asked but this time I could sense worry coming from him, he wasn't controlling his gift.

'Nothing bad, so you can stop projecting your worry to me' I told him firmly. Jasper let out a sigh in relief and I could feel the worry leaving me. 'In the first vision I saw everyone around the dinner table looking at a large cake. In the next vision, we were all covered in cake and Melody said she was sorry about something.' I explained.

Jasper nodded thoughtfully 'I guess we'll just have to see what happens in between the visions.' He said. 'I wonder why you even had a vision.' Rosalie said. 'I don't know… I guess we'll find that out soon enough too.' I said. My happiness from the day of shopping returned in quickly after this and it was doubled by the fact that I, kind of, had my visions back. Jasper couldn't help but smile as my emotions affected him and he didn't even complain about having to carry all our bags again as we made our way to the car.

**Jasper POV**

Great, just great. I had finally found the perfect gift and in comes Alice telling me something is going to happen at the birthday but not being able to explain what it is. Every birthday up till now, I had been unable to find the right gift and had ended up with a standard stuffed animal or doll. Melody always told me she loved the gift and her emotions told me she didn't lie. I just felt like I could do so much better.

This year I had found the perfect gift and still the birthday wouldn't be perfect. I sighed in frustration and looked out of my bedroom window. Melody was outside playing with Emmett and Alice. Emmett had made a bet with Alice that he would be able to catch Melody with ease when she would be flying around. Alice said that he didn't have a change with that but as Alice couldn't see the outcome this time; Emmett took a chance and agreed to the bet. I didn't know what exactly the bet was about but knowing Alice, Emmett would be in for something bad if he lost.

It did look like he was losing as he hadn't managed to get close to Melody so far. She wasn't that fast while walking but she was as fast as a vampire when it came to flying. I heard Emmett curse when he once again grabbed and missed. I chuckled at this which made Melody turn her head my way. She gave me a big smile and I could feel her smugness coming in waves. Her hearing was also as good as ours was.

'Jasper, Rosalie! Would please help me set up the table for when the cake arrives?' Esme asked from downstairs. I put my wrapped up present in my pocket and went downstairs at human speed. Esme stood waiting in the kitchen with Rosalie and when I arrived she told us how she wanted everything done. Rose and I nodded and went to work as soon as Esme was finished talking.

It didn't take us long to get everything ready seeing as we are vampires. Esme and Rosalie went outside to get Alice, who was feeling victorious because she had won the bet with Emmett, and the three of them went upstairs to get our outfits for tomorrow ready. The girls always wanted us to look at our best because Melody's birthday was the only one we really celebrated. They were also very confident in the fact that us guys didn't have enough fashion sense to pick our own clothes for the occasion.

I decided to go on a quick hunt before night would fall and went outside to see whether Emmett wanted to join me. 'Emmett, wanna go for a quick hunt?' I asked. Emmett stood up from the ground on which he had been sitting a second before and nodded his head energetically. 'I'm in!' He said enthusiastically. _Are you going to stay away long?_ Melody asked me in private. I shook my head _No; we'll be back before you know it little one._ I told her. She flew to me, hugged me tight and waved goodbye to Emmett before flying into the house.

**Alice POV**

'Emmett, wanna go for a quick hunt?' I heard Jasper say outside. Emmett's reply was exactly what I had expected. 'I'm in!' Emmett said enthusiastically. I hid my smile; it was so easy to predict my oldest brother's reaction to certain things.

It was quiet for a few seconds and I guessed Melody and Jasper were having a private conversation. My guess was confirmed when Melody flew into the house a second later. 'What are you doing?' She asked in her bell like voice while hugging Esme. Melody really did love Esme like a child would love her mother. Carlisle was her father in every way possible but she still showed the most affection to Jasper.

'We're preparing for tomorrow honey.' Esme told her. 'For my birthday?' Melody asked us. 'Yes, for your birthday. What else?' Rosalie said, ruffling Melody's hair which made her giggle. _Thank you, all of you,_ Melody thought to us. Wait! She spoke in her thoughts… and I could hear it! I squealed in delight grabbing Melody from Esme's hands.

'I could hear you!' I chirped happily, swinging Melody around. Melody just smiled brightly in return. I wasn't an empath but I didn't have to be to know that Melody was as happy as I was. This would solve so many problems and it meant that Melody trusted me enough to let me in. It also explained why I had seen a vision earlier. Melody must have opened up at that moment even though I wasn't near her.

**Jasper POV**

The sun was rising slowly at the horizon and my room turned into all the colours of the rainbow because of my skin. I stood up and walked to Melody's room. The little girl was still fast asleep but I could feel her excitement slowly building. Even in her unconscious state she knew that today was a special day.

I decided to let her sleep for a bit more and went downstairs to help set things up. We all helped put up the balloons and streamers, except for Edward. He was sulking in his room muttering something about being the only sensible one. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that he had been overruled in the decision about keeping Melody.

Melody woke up at nine o'clock and was thrilled when she saw all the streamers and balloons. She hugged all of us tight before settling herself on the couch next to me. 'I'll get Edward so we can start with the presents. 'Esme said before she rushed upstairs. We all heard Edward sigh before both he and Esme came back down.

Alice squealed in delight and rushed to the table to get the first present before rushing back. She gave the present to Melody and sat down on her other side.

Melody looked at the package in delight before carefully ripping the paper off. Inside was the beautiful necklace I had seen Rosalie holding in the jewellery store. Melody was looking at the necklace, not able to say anything. 'This is from Rosalie and me.' Alice said. 'Happy birthday Mel.' Alice ruffled Melody's hair and gave her a kiss on her cheek. Rosalie congratulated her as well and gave her a kiss on her head.

Emmett got up after this and ran to the table to get his gift which was a lot larger than the gift from Alice and Rose. Melody disappeared completely behind it when Emmett put it on her lap. The paper around the gift was gone in an instant. Emmett had bought Melody her very own radio. 'Thank you Emmett.' Melody said. Emmett lifted her up and hugged her tight. 'You're welcome little sis.' He said.

Esme and Carlisle's gift came next. They had bought her a brand new bicycle in her favourite colour, midnight blue. Melody was ecstatic about her new bike and insisted on riding on it for a bit before anything else happened.

When she was satisfied with her riding style about an hour later she sat back down and looked at me expectantly. I got the present out of my pocket and handed it to her. She looked at the small box and opened it carefully. Her eyes widened when she saw the bracelet inside. I took the box from her, removed the bracelet and put it around her wrist. Melody brought her arm to the level of her eyes and looked intently at the charm hanging from the bracelet.

'It's like my wings.' She said, flapping her own wings absently. She turned to me with tears in her eyes, then jumped at me and hugged me tight. All I could feel at that moment was the love coming from her. I hugged her closer and put my cheek softly on her head. _Edward doesn't have a present does he…? _Melody thought to me after a while. I sighed and kissed her head. _Sorry little one… no…_ She was silent for a view seconds before continuing _He'll never like me, will he? I don't really mind, though I wish it was different._ I could feel a small bit of pain coming through her happiness and looked at Alice for help.

Alice nodded, understanding everything instantly. 'Cake time!' she chirped. I sighed in relief when Melody her pain disappeared. I let go of Melody who flew at full speed to the table on which the cake was waiting. Six candles were placed top of the cake and I could feel Melody's excitement about blowing them out.

I wanted to follow Melody and the others to the table but Alice held me back. 'Something will happen now.' She whispered low enough so that no one else would hear. I nodded my head and looked at the table. 'We don't know what's going to happen so we might as well see it though.' I said. I could feel Alice her worry and send her a wave of calm. I saw her relax immediately and we both walked up to the table.

I went to stand behind Melody and Alice stood on the opposite side looking almost as excited as Melody herself though I could still feel her worry coming from her. Melody was hovering an inch above the table, her wings flapping just enough to keep her in the air. 'Can I?' She asked Esme. 'Yes dear, go ahead.' Esme said with a smile.

Melody inhaled deeply and blew as hard as she could. Five of the six candles went out and I could feel her disappointment. She turned her head to me 'Why didn't that one go out?' She asked and she jabbed her forefinger at the cake. What happened next went really fast.

The moment Melody had pointed at the cake it had flown off the table. Only Alice knew something was going to happen involving the cake so she had ducked out of the way quickly. The others weren't as lucky though and the cake hit them with quite some force. If I wasn't so shocked at what had just happened I would be laughing at everyone who was now covered in cake.

Melody turned towards me and her sadness engulfed me. 'I'm sorry…' she whispered before flying towards me and burying her face in my chest. I held her tight and whispered words of comfort to her while sending out calming waves to her.

I didn't feel so calm myself though. I looked at my family members and they were all emitting the same emotion, shock. Even Edward wasn't feeling angry at the moment though I was sure that would soon change. I focused on Alice, maybe she had had a vision of what would happen next but she just shook her head. Even Carlisle didn't have an explanation this time; he was as confused as everyone else…

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**Ok... that was quite a long chapter ^_^ Let me know what you think! **

**I know a lot of people read my story but only a few review (again, thank you so much for that!)... I would really like to know what my readers think of the story. Just saying you love, like, dislike or hate it would be great :)**

**Thank you all!**

**~Marieke~**


	8. Sightings

**I'm so sorry for the delay! Things got really busy at school and I totally forgot to update... please forgive me? **

**Whether your mad at me or not, here is the next chapter**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight (same goes for the previous chapter where I kind of forgot the disclaimer...)**

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**Jasper POV**

I was sitting on the couch, holding Melody who hadn't stopped crying since the incident. Everyone was now cleaning up the mess and some were already taking a shower to get rid of the cake. Edward had showered very fast and hadn't helped with the cleaning. He had gone outside, probably hunting or just running, I couldn't care less at the moment.

The only emotions I could feel coming from Melody were grief and shame. I tried to ask her why she was feeling this way because she hadn't done anything wrong but she wouldn't tell me. I could see Emmett leaving from the corner of my eye, probably to catch up with Edward for he was concerned about something.

Rosalie walked over and sat down next to me. 'How is she?' she asked. She still had a towel around her head to keep up her wet hair. I could feel worry coming from her and sighed. Her worry together with mine wasn't what I needed right now. Especially when I tried to keep Melody as calm as possible.

'She's sad and feels ashamed because of what happened.' I told Rosalie. 'Poor baby.' Rosalie cooed, stroking her hair lightly. Melody looked up at Rose and smiled a sad smile at her. I made up my mind in an instant. 'Rose, could you stay with her when I go talk to Carlisle?' I asked, knowing Melody would be perfectly save with Rosalie.

'Sure, no problem.' Rosalie said, holding out her hands to take Melody. The girl had other plans though and held onto me with all her strength, which was quite a lot nowadays. Her strength had grown from the day she had gotten her wings. Whenever she would grab onto anything now it was really hard to make her let go without hurting her.

This time it took both me and Rosalie to get her to let go. She looked at me sadly from Rosalie's arms. _Don't you want me to be with you anymore?_ Melody asked mentally. I cringed at the pain that came with her words. _No angel, it's not like that at all… but I have to talk to Carlisle, maybe he knows why this has happened._ I told her sending more calm and love to her. 'I'll be back as soon as I can.' I said out loud for Rosalie's sake. The girls both nodded before Rosalie sat down and started talking to Melody about how no one is angry with her.

I hurried up the stairs to Carlisle's study and knocked on the door. 'Come in.' Carlisle called. I stepped inside the study and went to sit at Carlisle's desk. 'I guess you want to talk about what happened earlier, don't you?' Carlisle asked with a concerned look on his face. I just nodded and waited for him to continue.

Carlisle flicked through a couple of papers which were lying on his desk, then he pushed one of the papers towards me. The paper showed a detailed explanation about telekinesis. 'Telekinesis? Is that what Melody used?' I asked. Carlisle nodded with a slight smile on his face though his emotions told me he was still worried.

'I have researched several things but the only thing that made sense was this.' Carlisle explained. I finished reading the page at vampire speed and looked back at Carlisle. 'This does make sense… but why are you still worried?' I asked.

'I've been trying to figure out what Melody is but I'm just not able to figure it out. There is no reference to people with wings anywhere.' Carlisle shook his head as if this movement would somehow help him come up with an answer. It was something he had kept from when he was a human. 'Nothing at all?' I asked. 'Not even sightings of strange large birds? I mean, we would probably see that it was a human with wings, but a human will only something that looks like a giant bird right?'

Carlisle stopped shaking his head and looked at me, a determined glint appearing in his eyes. He started looking at papers and pulled different books from the shelves with vampire speed. If I had still been human it would have appeared that Carlisle's hands had disappeared. It only took Carlisle a few seconds to find what he was looking for. He pushed two books and an old newspaper article to me so that I could see several pictures of what at first appeared to be giant birds. When I looked closer I could see that the birds had arms and legs like a human.

'This is it!' I exclaimed excited. 'Yes, I believe so.' Carlisle replied. He turned the screen back to himself and started searching for other sightings. 'It appears that the sightings have only been in certain areas of the world. Most pictures come from Great Britain, the northern part of Canada, France, Japan and Australia. None in America though… Melody's parents were quite a bit of track when you found them.' Carlisle mused.

I thought back to the day I had found Melody and Carlisle was right. We had been living in Alaska at that point and that was nowhere near one of the places Carlisle had just named. Something must have happened to them to make them come to Alaska but I couldn't think of anything.

'Could it be that Melody's parents were running away from something?' I wondered out loud. 'It is a possibility… It could be that they were chased or forced out off their home… but who or what would do that. 'I nodded thoughtfully. 'I wonder what could have caused it though. They knew how to fight off a vampire because I'm sure that the ash near their bodies was that of a vampire.' 'So it had to be something other than a vampire… or maybe a large coven that attacked them.' Carlisle said, turning back to his many books and papers.

While Carlisle was looking for more information I kept thinking about what could have happened over five years ago. I didn't believe only one vampire could have scared them away from their home with a baby. They had shown in the forest that they were capable of killing a vampire, something a normal human couldn't do. Melody was also prove that, whatever she was, would be as strong as a vampire, maybe even stronger. The little girl wasn't as strong as any of us yet but if her strength kept growing the way it was doing now, she would be able to catch up with us in about ten years.

It was the same thing with speed. Melody wasn't as fast as a vampire yet but she became faster and faster each year and would one day be as fast as us. Then there were the wings and her flying abilities. Melody could fly as fast as we could run and I was wondering if she would be able to go faster as the years went by.

She was smart too, Esme had been homeschooling her for about three years now and she understood everything perfectly. She remembers everything anyone tells her and is already way beyond what a normal six year old should be able to know. Lucky for her, she is also still a six year old in many ways and she throws tantrums about things every now and then. She mostly argues about going places where other people are but because of her wings, we can't allow that.

'I think we have to go to one of those sighting areas to find out more about this.' Carlisle said, pulling me out of my thoughts. 'I couldn't find any more information on the internet or any other archives that I could access.' Carlisle continued without looking away from his papers. I thought about this and was about to propose something when Carlisle beat me to it. 'I think we should leave as soon as possible. The more we can find out about Melody the better so that we will be able to find out what to expect in the future.'

'I was thinking the same thing Carlisle. We'll have to tell it to the others though.' I said. 'I don't think that will be a big problem. You know how everyone loves Melody and I'm sure they wouldn't mind moving for her.' 'All but one.' I countered. Carlisle knew I was right and who I was talking about. We had to tell Edward that we wouldn't only be moving to find out more about Melody because he would probably not go just for her.

'I think Edward has gone hunting with Emmett so we'll have to wait until they are back.' Carlisle began but he was interrupted by a gasped from Rosalie, coming from downstairs. The only emotion I could feel coming from her was shock and before Carlisle could say anything I ran downstairs.

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**That was chapter 8. What did you think? Even though I'm late with updating... I would really like to know your opinion on the story! The more reviews the better ^_^**

**And again... sorry for the slow update...**

**~Marieke~**


	9. Playing around and an explanation

**I really want to thank the three people who reviewed the last chapter (you know who you are ^_^) I would really love more reviews from my readers though... Feedback can only improve things and saying what you think about the story keeps me really motivated :) So please, please, please review! thanks ^_^**

**And now on to the next chapter :) enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Only Melody is of my own creation :)**

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**Jasper POV**

I went down the stairs at vampire speed while Rosalie's shock kept hitting me. I had no idea what was happening but the only thing I could think of was that something had happened to Melody. I raced into the room looking for anything unusual but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Rosalie was sitting on the couch where she had been before I went to talk with Carlisle. I was trying to see what she was looking at but didn't see anything that could cause her shock.

'Rose… what's wrong? How come I can only sense shock coming from you?' I asked. Rosalie slowly turned around and pointed behind me. I turned around slowly, even for a human, but before I could see anything a small thing jumped onto me. 'Jasper!' a bright bell like voice squealed while her happiness hit me hard. 'What is it little one?' I asked, smiling at her. _I can go out with Rosalie and Alice next time!_ She said mentally. _What do you mean?_ I wondered. 'Look!' Melody chirped out loud.

She jumped off of me and turned around, showing me her back. I gasped at what I saw and instantly understood what had shocked Rosalie so much. Melody her back was empty and I didn't mean that her shirt was ripped or anything. The large brown bird like wings were gone and no trace remained that they had ever existed. 'Melody…' I whispered. I didn't know what to say or how to feel. Melody was obviously happy since that was the only emotion coming from her but was this really alright? Did this mean that Melody had lost her special powers and all?

_Jasper? Are you alright?_ Melody asked mentally, snapping me out of my thoughts. _You can still talk like this… does this mean that you are alright?_ I asked carefully. 'I'm fine!' she chirped out loud again. 'Isn't it cool, I can go to places now without exposing anyone.' she twirled around in front of me with a bright smile on her face. 'So, no more wings then?' I asked, while I couldn't help grinning at her happy face. 'No, I still have my wings.' Melody said smugly then she laughed at me. I looked at her questioningly and her voice sounded in my head. _Your face looks funny Jasper_ she giggled.

'Well, you can't blame him can you?' Rosalie said from behind me. She stood up from the couch and walked over to stand behind me. The shock I had been feeling from her before was now changed to curiosity towards Melody. 'You're wings are gone but you say you still have your wings. Though I do like it that Alice and me can actually take our little sister shopping now.' Rosalie continued. If possible Melody's happiness grew even more at Rose her words. She had been asking whether she could go out shopping with her big sisters for some time now.

'Well I remembered something when we were sitting on the couch and you were talking to me how everything was fine.' Melody said. Before I could ask her what this was Carlisle beat me to it. He had apparently heard our conversation upstairs and had probably rushed down to get a few of his never ending flow of questions answered. 'What do you remember?' he asked a bit too fast. I shook my head and was about to repeat it a bit slower for Melody when she began to answer. 'I remembered how to hide my wings.' Melody said proudly at the same speed Carlisle had asked his question. 'And apparently you have learned how to speak faster than a human.' Rosalie commented dryly.

Melody looked at her with a confused look on her face for a second before she started smiling again. 'I guess so.' She was smiling up to the three of us as if Christmas had come early this year. Her emotions told me about the same as her face did but as soon as I concentrated a bit I could feel the shame she had felt earlier seep through. 'Melody, about what happened earlier.' I said carefully, not wanting to ruin her happy mood. It didn't work though, the moment I reminded her about it her shame became the dominant emotion once again.

_I said I was sorry… _Melody whispered in my head, probably not trusting her voice enough to say it out loud. I smiled slightly and ruffled her hair. 'You don't have to say sorry little one.' I told her reassuringly. 'We', I motioned to Carlisle and myself, 'have been talking and we believe that what you did earlier is telekinesis.' Melody's shame disappeared instantly and was replaced with curiosity. 'Does that mean what I think it does?' she asked. I just nodded and watched a grin spread across her face. 'That is so cool.' She exclaimed happily and before we could tell her anything else she rushed out the glass sliding door.

The three of us were left standing in the living room, each with our own thoughts. I was glad that Melody was feeling happy again and excited about her new power. 'I'm going to look into this all a bit more.' Carlisle said after a few seconds in spend silence and walked upstairs. 'Did the others go hunting too?' I asked my sister. Rosalie turned to me and was about to answer when a large rock hit her shoulder. It didn't do much damaged but Rosalie's eyes almost popped out of her head with anger. The designer shirt she had put on especially for Melody's birthday now had a hole in it which exposed her shoulder.

I turned around quickly and raced outside to where Melody was before I could burst out laughing in front of an already angry Rosalie. Melody was standing outside with her hands over her mouth feeling a bit guilty but mostly amused. _I think we should go for a walk_ I said mentally. _I guess you're right… will Rose stay mad for long?_ Melody asked, looking up to me. Amusement was underlining her thoughts but her face didn't show anything. _Probably not that long but with Rosalie you never know. _Melody nodded, turned around and raced towards the forest.

We ran for about ten minutes when we came to a clearing where Melody stopped abruptly. I stopped too and looked at her questioningly. We normally ran for about an hour or two before she needed a rest or got bored. _Melody?_ I asked concern colouring my thoughts. _Watch this_ she replied turning her back to me and standing very still. A second later her two brown wings spread out behind her. The sun took this moment to show itself from behind the clouds and bathed Melody's wings in sunlight, showing the different shades of brown perfectly.

'See, I told you I still had them.' She said smugly. I smiled but and shook my head in defeat, she might have the intelligence of a teenager but she still acted like the six year old she really was from time to time. Melody flapped her wings for a second before shooting up in the air. Her speed was incredible when she was flying. She was soon so high she was only a small speck in the cloudy sky where she hovered for a few seconds. _Are you going to stay all the way up there all day?_ I asked sarcastically. _No, I'll come back down in a bit. I just like flying this high, the air is so much more cleaner. _Melody thought back.

I sat down, watching the speck that was Melody fly among the clouds, sometimes disappearing in them for a few seconds or even minutes. I wasn't worried about something happening to her though. Our bond had grown stronger and stronger as Melody grew and we could now speak over great distances and I could feel her emotions no matter where she was. I lay down on the grass, knowing that Melody wouldn't come down until the fun wore off for her.

**Edward POV**

Being covered in cake on a day I didn't even want to be anywhere near home really wasn't my idea of fun. I had cleaned up quickly and had left the house. I could hear everyone scolding me for not helping and my attitude altogether but I didn't care.

I had been running for fifteen minutes when Emmett caught up with me. He stayed silent but in his thoughts he kept asking me if I was alright and whether I wanted to talk about it. Well, I wasn't and I didn't. Emmett stopped bugging me with his thoughts when I didn't answer and instead started singing some of his favourite songs in his head.

We kept running in silence for another fifteen minutes before we came to large field in the middle of a forest. No humans had been here for quite some time, or maybe they never came here for no smell of them remained. _So… ready to talk about it?_ Emmett asked me, his thoughts sounding like a whisper. I sighed and sat down before I answered him. 'I have know I idea what we would have to talk about.'

'Edward… don't be like that bro, something is bothering you… even I can see that.' Emmett said. I just shook my head and lay down, ignoring my brother who did the same but thankfully stayed quiet. I didn't want to talk about my thoughts, my feelings. None of them would understand them anyway. Bringing Melody home when he found her was the biggest mistake Jasper had ever made. He had given us a big problem which apparently only I could see.

I had agreed instantly to the adopting plan Carlisle and Esme had come up with five and a half years ago. That would solve the problem immediately and I was positive that Jasper would get over it quickly enough. I mean, it didn't involve a bond between mates or anything. When he came back with Melody and the child had wings I had been shocked and also more determined that we had to get rid of her. Too bad I was the only who was thinking like that because everyone else was all too eager to welcome the little child into the family.

I could now hear other members of my family approaching but I ignored them for now; they would start nagging soon enough anyway. 'Edward! Emmett!' Alice chirped happily before running over and trying to jump on top of me. I rolled over at the last second causing her to hit the ground hard, leaving a hole in the earth. 'Not fair.' Alice grumbled though she had probably already known that I would do that. I ignored her and turned to Esme who hadn't said anything. She didn't have to speak though; her thoughts said everything she might have said out loud. _Edward, why are you so difficult with Melody? Please son, talk to us._ She pleaded while looking at me in a way only she could. I could never say no to her gentle, motherly face and this time wasn't any different.

'I'm just frustrated that no one sees the problem that is living in our house.' I said. Alice and Emmett stopped the little wrestle match they had started and came to stand next to Esme. Their thoughts were the same; they wanted to know more about this problem. 'What problem dear?' Esme asked but I knew she knew what I was talking about.

'I'm talking about Melody, about the fact that she is a huge exposure risk.' I explained. Before any of them could say anything I continued. 'It would have been a huge risk to keep her as a human but it only got worse when she appeared to be something else. What would happen if a human saw her flying or would just see her wings? Even worse, what if another vampire saw her?' I wanted to say more but Emmett interrupted me. 'Dude, there is no exposure risk at all. Melody is always very careful where she flies and as her sight is as good as ours, she will see humans before they would be able to see her and dive out of sight fast enough so that there won't be a problem.'

I shook my head, how could they not get it. 'If a vampire sees her, what do you think they will do? They will try and find out who she is and what she is and they will track her down to us, which could only mean trouble.' Esme tried to approach me now but I stepped back and continued. 'The worst thing that could happen is that the Volturi could find out. What will you all do when they show up?' I asked.

'If anything like that were to happen I would see it beforehand.' Alice said confidently. I looked at her sceptically. 'What? My visions have returned so we don't have to worry.' She said with a smug look on her face. I scowled and crossed my arms across my chest stubbornly. _Oh… I know what his problem is!_ Emmett thought all of a sudden. My eyes focussed on Emmett. I was actually wondering what he had come up with for he wasn't thinking about it at the moment.

Emmett didn't say anything and his thoughts were once again focussed on completely random things. 'Emmett… you know what my problem is?' I asked slowly. 'Oh… you caught that…' _damn…_ he added in his thoughts. 'Uhm… well… I think you're cranky because Melody has shielded Jasper for some time now and well… you're not used to being blocked out.' Emmett said while stepping back a bit. I hissed at him but didn't do anything else. As much as I wanted to deny what Emmett had just said, I couldn't because I knew he was right. That didn't mean I wasn't right about the other problems I had just voiced but I decided to drop it for now. They wouldn't listen because they loved Melody too much, but I couldn't make myself care for her. She had invaded my home, my family and put us all in possible danger, and I wasn't ready to forgive her for that.

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**What did you think of Edward's thoughts? as I said above, please review and let me know :)**

**Also a request this time:  
One of my loyal readers has a Twilight fanfic about Embry's imprint; summary:  
**This a story of Embry and his reluctant imprint Tempany. It has a couple of twists. But in the end it may not work out for them. This is my second fanfic! Please reviewm it would mean alot! Rated T for future stuff!  
**link: .net/s/6386693/1/One_at_a_time  
please try this fanfic :) it's one of my favorites ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	10. Family meeting

**I got more people who added Wings to their favourite stories and Story Alert ^_^ I only got three reviews though (which I really appreciate, don't get me wrong because I love my reviewers ^_^) but some more reviews would be nice. Just tell me whether you like it or not! it doesn't take that much time to review :) It would mean the world to me!**

**anyway, on to the next chapter :) enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is still not mine **

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**Emmett POV**

I cannot believe what Edward had just said. Melody, a threat? No way. She was the sweetest child ever and the wings only made her cuter. I might have understood Edward's problem when Melody was still very young but now? She has always listened to all of us and never went near humans so how could she ever expose us?

I was glad that the others had let me go without trying to talk me out of it; I needed to be away from Edward for a bit. Running always calmed me down somehow and I was hoping that it would work again this time. If I had stayed near Edward much longer I would have started hitting him. No one insults my family and especially my little sister.

In order to cool down I decided to just let my mind wander over random things that had happened over the many years I had been alive. _Yep, running and letting my mind wander is still the best medicine against unwanted aggression _I thought to myself. 'Emmett!' I snapped out of my thoughts and stopped in my tracks but before I could see where the call was coming from something small hit me. 'Emmett! What are you doing here? I thought you went after Edward.' Melody said very fast which made me unable to answer.

'Wow, slow down little sis.' I smiled down at her and ruffled her hair which made her giggle. 'So, to answer your questions. I'm here because I felt like running and didn't really pay attention to where I was going. I did go after Edward but we didn't really agree with each other on… uhm… some things which caused the aimless running to begin with.' I regretted telling Melody about Edward the minute I had done it. 'He really doesn't like me, does he…' Melody whispered, hiding her face from me. 'No, it's not that. Edward is just different but he will come around.' I told her. Melody her smile returned and she hugged me tight before pulling back a bit. 'Follow me, Jasper is right this way.' Melody said.

She jumped out of my arms and ran ahead of me. I had no trouble keeping up with her, she might be as fast as us when she's flying but her running is still slow. 'Catch me if you can!' I called to her before sprinting past her. 'Not fair!' I heard her yell from behind me. I could hear Melody spreading her wings behind me and launch herself into the air. I kept running but did look behind me to see how my competition was doing so far. Looking back was a big mistake; Melody was gaining on me fast. She had a devilish grin on her face and pushed her right hand forward, her palm pointing directly towards me.

Some sort of force hit me in my back a second later, sending me flying face forward into a small clearing and landing at the feet of an obviously amused Jasper. 'He Emmett, nice of you to drop by.' Jasper said smugly. I jumped to my feet and scowled at my brother. 'Melody pushed me here… It wasn't my fault.' I grumbled. 'It was your fault Emmett.' A bell like voice said indignantly. 'You made an unfair race out of it.' I looked up from the ground just in time to see Melody stick out her tongue at me.

I jumped up from the ground and dusted myself off before giving Melody a mischievous look. 'You know I'll get you for this right?' I asked her. She nodded and the devilish grin I had seen before once again appeared on her little angelic face. 'I'm guessing that you like your new power?' I asked. Melody's devilish grin transformed into a genuine one. 'Yes, I love it! Carlisle looked into it after the cake accident and told me it is called telekinesis.' She explained proudly. 'That's great kid.' I said, ruffling her hair again. She smiled brightly again before turning to Jasper for one of their private conversations. Lucky for me their conversation didn't last very long. Melody soon spread her wings and shot off into the air and was soon only a speck in the sky.

'Emmett… How did it go with the others?' Jasper asked after a few seconds of silence. I knew perfectly well he meant Edward but I wasn't sure what to tell him. 'Emmett?' I turned to look at Jasper who was looking at me with a puzzled expression. 'Why are you looking at me like that?' I asked. 'Your emotions are changing very fast… Would you mind telling me why?' I looked back at the sky again and sighed.

'Edward is having some serious problems with Melody. He only sees her only as an exposure risk and not as a part of the family. I'm not sure what he wants to do or even if he wants to do anything, but I don't think his attitude will change any time soon.' I explained as fast as possible for a vampire. I glanced at Jasper to see what his reaction would be but his face remained calm. 'I was afraid of that but I'm not going to worry about it now. As long as Edward doesn't want to hurt Melody it's fine with me.' Jasper said.

He then looked at the sky and I knew he was once again having a silent conversation with my baby sister. I must admit that I'm kind of jealous of him… I wish Melody would hurry up and talk to me too. I looked at the sky again and saw Melody flying towards us. 'We're going back home?' I presumed. Jasper just nodded and we launched off towards the house with Melody following us in the sky.

**Rosalie POV**

That idiotic brother of mine had laughed at me. Laughed! How could he! I was fuming in my room looking at myself in de mirror. My favourite shirt was ruined now and Jasper didn't even scold Melody for it. I know she was only practising with her new power but that doesn't mean she can destroy my clothes without at least being scolded a little bit.

I walked into my closet and grabbed a new shirt. Then I went back into my bathroom and took a long shower. The warm water calmed me down considerably and by the time I stepped out of the shower my anger had evaporated. I put on the shirt I had chosen earlier and walked over to my large vanity mirror. I grabbed my blow-dryer and dried my hair, then I started pulling my hair up but in the end I decided to just let it just hang loose around my shoulders and down my back.

On my way down I could hear Carlisle walking around in his study. I stood still in front of his door for a moment listening to him pulling books from his many bookcases. He then sat down and started reading the book. I could hear him turning the pages really fast so he must have been reading at vampire speed. He got up again quickly after that and repeated the process. I shook my head and continued moving downstairs. _Carlisle will always be Carlisle_ I thought.

I had just sat down on the couch when the first members of my family returned. Alice was in the lead, looking angry. I was about to ask what had happened when she spotted me. Her eyes zeroed in on my new shirt and a shocked look appeared on her face, completely erasing the angry look she had a second ago. 'Where is the shirt you had on earlier?' She gasped. 'Melody destroyed it.' I huffed. 'She… did… what?' Alice asked astonished. 'She didn't do it on purpose; it was an accident.' I told her. Alice still looked shocked but I knew that would pass soon enough. I might be a bit vain with how I look, but Alice is the same, or maybe even worse, with clothing.

Before we could say anything more about the ruined shirt Esme walked in followed by Edward. Before I could stop myself I hissed at my least favourite brother. He was such a pain nowadays. Why he couldn't just get over himself and be nice to Melody was beyond me. Edward glared at me when he heard my thoughts but I didn't care. _You know I'm right Eddie_ I thought. Edward growled at me; he hated it when someone called him Eddie.

'Where's Emmett?' I asked. I had expected him to walk in after Edward but he was still not here. 'He needed some time to clear his head, dear.' Esme said soothingly. 'What happened with you guys that made Emmett that frustrated?' I growled my eyes fixed on Edward. The bastard himself however kept his mouth shut and just glared at me. Alice and Esme looked at each other before Esme opened her mouth to speak. 'I believe it is best to wait with everything when we are all home.' She said. I agreed reluctantly and after a few seconds, so did Edward.

'I'm going to wait in my room. Call me when Emmett and Jasper are back.' Edward mumbled. _Good riddance _I thought smugly. Edward growled at me but otherwise didn't do anything. He ran up the stairs and we heard his door close a second later. Alice sat down beside me and looked at me in a concerned way. I was wondering what was bothering her or if maybe my expression was causing her to be concerned. 'Rose… how did you ruin that really nice shirt?' Alice asked in a very serious way. I blinked twice than started laughing out loud. I had expected a really hard question but Alice wouldn't be Alice if she hadn't asked about my shirt. When my laughing had mostly stopped I launched into my story about how Melody had destroyed my shirt. I didn't tell them about her new development though, that was for Melody herself to tell.

**Jasper POV**

At first Emmett and I were just running together but it soon turned into a full out race. I was faster than Emmett but he was stronger than me which made his strides longer. Because of this we were racing neck to neck when we burst out of the forest near the house. 'I am soooo winning.' Emmett bragged. 'You are soooo not winning.' I called back. We both grinned at each other before looked ahead again and dashed towards the open double doors at the back of the house.

'FIRST!' we both yelled as we came to a stop in the living room. Alice, Rosalie and Esme looked at us as if we were crazy which only made Emmett and me grin more. 'It was a tie.' A bell voice said behind us. We both turned around at the same time to see Melody hovering in front of us with a smug look on her face. 'We did not tie because I won.' Emmett said, crossing his arms across his chest and huffing loudly.

I shook my head and walked further inside. Melody landed softly, folded her wings and joined me as I sat down on a couch. Emmett followed us slowly and dropped down on the other couch, next to Rosalie. 'We did no tie… I won.' I grumbled again to no one in particular. Rosalie put a soothing hand on his knee and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. 'I know you did sweetie, I'm proud of you.' She cooed. Emmett's face lit up at Rosalie's words and I could feel love coming from both of them but luckily no lust.

Before we could say or do anything else, Carlisle came down and cleared his throat to catch everyone's attention. Edward had apparently heard it to because we could hear his door opening and him coming down the stairs. With him came a lot of negative emotions but I pushed those aside. He had been moody for over five years now so ignoring his negative emotions wasn't that hard for me anymore.

'I'm glad you all came home without too much trouble.' Carlisle said. He smiled at all of us and I could feel that he was proud of us that nothing had escalated in the forest. 'We' Carlisle mentioned to himself and me 'have done some research about Melody's power and about what she might be. I would like to tell you all about this but I believe Melody has something to show you all first.' He mentioned for Melody to show us all what he meant.

Melody got off the couch and went to stand in the middle of the room. She took a deep breath and when she exhaled her wings shrunk until it looked like they had never existed. I could feel shock coming from Esme, Alice, Emmett and even Edward. I didn't really have to be an empath to notice this reaction though; the shock was written all over their faces. 'You didn't see that coming?' I asked Alice. It was hard to keep something a surprise to my favourite sister as she could see what the surprise was the moment someone made a decision to do something.

Alice turned to me and shook her head. 'Maybe I was too concentrated on what Edward might do to pay attention to Melody.' She mused. 'I guess miracles do happen.' I said while grinning at her. She stuck out her tiny tongue and I could tell she was annoyed. I turned away from her and looked at the others. Emmett had an astonished look on his face and his mouth was hanging open as if he was a complete idiot.

Rosalie saw it too and smacked Emmett on the back of his head. 'How did you do that?' Emmett boomed as soon as Rosalie her hand hit his head. He made it sound like the words had been stuck in his throat and Rosalie had smacked them out. Melody giggled at Emmett and smugness was radiating from Rosalie. 'I just remembered how I could hide my wings when I was sitting on the couch with Rosalie after all of you had left.' Melody said. She started explaining to everyone what she had remembered and also about the accident with the rock and Rose her shirt. Everyone laughed when Melody told them what she had done; only Rosalie wasn't looking too happy but she wasn't angry either.

'I'm not so sure about the rest.' Melody continued. She looked at me for support but I didn't have any further information either. Luckily Carlisle cleared his throat at this point. Melody walked back to the couch and sat next to me, looking expectantly at Carlisle like the rest of us. Even Edward was paying attention and I could feel irritation coming from him. I was wondering why but when a slight smile spread across Carlisle's face I knew that he must be blocking Edward out.

**Carlisle POV**

If looks could kill I would be dead right now. Edward was glaring at me as if really wishing I would drop dead. I guess he didn't really like it that I was blocking him out right now. I didn't need him to start yelling about what I wanted to say before I had a change to say it so blocking him was my only option. A good thing about being a vampire is that I can think of multiple things at the same time. Edward's ability can only read one part of a vampire's mind and I was thinking about different kinds of surgery procedures in that part of my mind. That is the only way to block Edward but it was still hard to do because that's the part of the mind everyone uses the most.

I decided to ignore Edward for now and addressed my whole family. 'As you all know I have been researching Melody's origin ever since she joined our family. I have now, with some help from Jasper, found some things that might prove very useful.' I gave Esme one of the papers I had found with a picture of a so called large bird and told her to pass it to the rest. 'As you can see in that picture, Melody isn't the only one of her kind. There have been sightings of others like Melody in the northern part of Canada, Great Britain, France, Japan and Australia. In order to collect more information about this we would have to move to any of these places and maybe even all of them.'

Edward snarled at this point and everyone turned their attention to him. 'You've got to be kidding me.' He spat before running up to his room. We soon heard his door close and a second later the sound of music floated down the stairs. I sighed and shook my head; this wasn't going to be easy. I turned back to my family and continued. 'I believe that we should go to Canada first as it is the closest to us at the moment. We can also travel a lot easier now that Melody can hide her wings.' Melody smiled up at me when I said this and I couldn't help but feel proud of my youngest daughter.

'When do you want to move?' Rosalie asked. I was about to answer when Alice beat me to it. She had a vague look in her eyes which told us she was having a vision. 'We will leave the day after tomorrow; I can see the date on the calendar in the kitchen.' Alice said. She came out of her vision and smiled at Esme. 'Esme the house will be beautiful, I love it already.' Alice said. Esme nodded and hugged Alice tight before turning her attention to me again.

'I'm glad that no one is opposed to the move, well… that most of you aren't opposed.' I shot a quick glance upstairs where Edward was still trying to ignore us. 'He'll come around Carlisle.' Emmett said. 'I'll make sure he will.' Alice laughed at this and Emmett looked at her questioningly. 'I just saw the result of your plan and trust me; you don't want that to happen.' Alice said laughing. Emmett grumbled at this but didn't argue. Everyone knew that betting against Alice was a bad idea.

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**As usual, let me know what you think! REVIEW PLEASE! ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	11. Moving to Canada

**Thanks again for the reviews and for adding Wings to favourite and Alert lists! ^_^ **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine...**

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**Melody POV**

I was waiting in the front passengers seat of Jasper's car, waiting for the guys to finish putting all the bags and suitcases in the cars. Us girls were all waiting in our appropriate cars doing a bit of reading or listening to music on the radio. We had packed everything, not because we wanted to but when Jasper and Emmett decided to throw Esme's precious vases Esme had thrown them out of the house. Rosalie and Alice had begun packing al the clothing, and believe me we all have a lot of clothing, and Esme and I started packing all the other personal belongings.

Esme had held boxes open for me and I used my power to try and put everything neatly into them. As we got more and more done I got a bit too excited and accidently shot Edward's stereo out of his window. It had crashed against a tree and was beyond repair. Edward was so angry he had to be held back by Jasper and Emmett while I apologized over and over again. In the end he just took off into the forest to blow off some steam as Emmett had put it.

Edward came back after an hour of running and Emmett had thought that this would be the right time to use his plan. Alice was already giggling because she had already seen him fail in one of her visions. She had refused to tell any of us what was going to happen so when Emmett went over to Edward we all stopped packing and watched. Edward was sitting at his piano and Emmett sat down next to him. 'Hey brother let's start packing so that we can move already.' Emmett said cheerfully. I snorted which caused Rosalie and Jasper to look at me questioningly. 'What? It's not as if that would really work.' I shrugged.

Emmett however wasn't put down by Edward's lack of reply. He stood up, shut the lid of the piano and put one foot on the piano stool. 'Now look here Edward we've all had it with your attitude and if you don't help us now I will destroy your piano.' Emmett said while holding his fist above the piano to emphasise his threat. _This is going to get ugly_ Jasper thought to me. He send the emotions he was feeling from Edward towards me and I had to suppress my laughter now. Edward was feeling a lot of annoyance and anger towards Emmett. Alice had been right; this wouldn't end in Emmett's favour.

Edward got up slowly from the piano stool and took a hold of Emmett's hand. 'You'll leave… my piano… alone!' Edward growled. Emmett's face broke in a grin then 'How are you going to stop me? I'm stronger than you.' To demonstrate this Emmett broke free of Edward's grip with ease and brought it down to the piano full force. It would have worked if Edward couldn't mind read and wasn't faster than Emmett. He was though and intercepted Emmett's fist midway. Then he turned his body, swinging Emmett with him. Edward released Emmett when he was facing the door and Emmett flew through it at an amazing speed.

We all ran after him just in time to see him crashing through a dozen trees before he came to a stop. Rosalie flitted after him but didn't help him up. She just stood over him and shook her head. 'I really love you Emmett but sometimes you're just really dumb.' Emmett grinned at Rosalie sheepishly before jumping to his feet. They both walked back to the house where Jasper, Alice and I were still laughing. 'It was worth a shot right?' Emmett said. We all shook our heads but didn't say anything; Emmett would always be Emmett.

After that the rest of the packing went alright and Esme kind of ordered the boys to get everything into the cars and the moving truck afterwards. We left all the large furniture behind as Esme had bought a house which was already furnished. The largest thing we brought with us was Edward's piano because he refused to leave it behind even though Carlisle had offered to buy a new one once we got to our new home in Canada.

I looked to my right and saw Rosalie smiling at me. _You alright little one?_ Rosalie asked me mentally. _I'm fine. I just wish we would go already._ I said realising I was sounding really impatient. _I keep forgetting this is your first time travelling since you were a baby._ Rosalie said. _Yeah… I didn't even get to see where we were going that time… I had to be kept bundled up and out of sight because of my wings._ I replied, thinking about the move from Alaska during which I slept most of the time and hadn't been able to see anything when I was awake.

Jasper then appeared in the rear mirror and started putting our last luggage and belongings in the trunk. _Almost done then?_ I asked him. _Yep, only our own belongings and then we're all set to go._ Jasper replied. He finished with our luggage quickly and stepped into the car. 'Ready to go?' he asked giving me a sarcastic look. I scowled at him for he already knew I was really excited and anxious to go; sometimes I really hated his empathic powers.

We had to wait a few more seconds before everyone was ready to go. Carlisle signalled the others that everyone was ready and we all started down the long drive towards the high way. We were going in four cars; Alice was riding shotgun in Edward's car. Her own car had been destroyed, literally, by Emmett and Edward a week ago when they had a little wrestling match. Alice had been in her bedroom with me playing dress-up to see which outfit would be my birthday outfit when she was pulled into a short vision. When she came out of it she had run down the stairs at top speed but it was already too late. I had heard a loud crash before Alice had opened the front door and when I looked out of her window I could see Alice her car completely destroyed next to a large tree.

Alice had been furious and had made Edward and Emmett promise her that they would buy her a new car. When it became clear yesterday that it was Edward who had thrown Emmett into the car which had caused it to fly into the tree Alice had vowed to make the trip towards our new home a living hell for Edward. _Alice? How is project irritate Edward going?_ I asked her. _It's going great_ Alice chirped, smugness colouring her words. _I'm now listening to _my_ favourite music and I don't think my dear brother appreciates it. _

I laughed at Alice's her words which earned me a questioning look from Jasper. 'Alice has put her irritate Edward plan into action.' I explained to him. Jasper laughed at this 'I was wondering why Edward was feeling so irritated. I feel kind of sorry for him though. When Alice is annoying it can really drive you crazy.' 'Hah, he's been annoying about me for as long as I can remember so it serves him right.' I pouted. Jasper reached over and ruffled my hair. 'I know it hasn't been easy for you, but just ignore Edward. He'll come around at some point.' I wanted to believe Jasper but as Edward's attitude hadn't changed one bit up until now I had no hope that it would ever change.

We rode in a comfortable silence for the next couple of hours, only conversing with our thoughts about random things. According to Jasper the plan to irritate Edward was going very well but he was also afraid that Edward would throw Alice out of the car very soon. Lucky for Alice I was ready for a break about an hour later so we all pulled over at the next gas station.

'You are so riding with someone else the rest of the way Alice.' Edward said venomously. I turned around to see him standing over Alice while my sister looked at him smugly. I shook my head and walked towards the little shop where the toilets would be. Jasper followed me inside and was pretending to be interested in various types of food as I went to fresh myself up.

I came back five minutes later to see Jasper talking to the man at the counter about the logic of selling alcohol at a gas station and I had to admit, Jasper had a point. I cleared my throat softly and Jasper turned towards me with a smile. I knew he had already heard me coming back but it would be a bit weird if Jasper had turned to me without me making a sound the humans could hear. 'All set?' Jasper asked. I shook my head and walked over to the sandwich corner and grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich. 'Can I have this?' I asked. I knew I didn't really have to ask but we had to keep up appearances.

Jasper nodded and paid for my sandwich. We walked back to the car and saw that everyone was standing outside around Alice. Jasper and I hurried over and Jasper asked Carlisle what had happened. I on the other hand put my mental link with Alice to good use and entered her thoughts. The second I entered them I was pulled into the vision Alice was having.

_Two vampires were standing across from us next to an empty road. My family was standing in front of me protectively. Only Edward stood to the side, leaning on the hood of Carlisle's car and didn't look like he was going to help in any way. 'What is she?' One of the vampires asked. 'She is part of our family.' Carlisle answered calmly though he didn't relax his stance. The other vampire barked out a harsh laugh at this which made Jasper growl._

The vision ended then and I stopped reading Alice her thoughts. 'Alice… when will this happen?' I asked quietly. Alice shook her head. 'I don't know.' She said. 'What did you see?' Carlisle asked. I looked at him as if he was crazy before I remembered that only Alice, Edward and me had seen the vision. Alice looked at the others and explained what she had seen. Jasper put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me to him when Alice mentioned the question the vampire in her vision had asked. I looked up at him and saw that his face looked grim.

_Don't worry, I'll be fine. If they try anything I'll just move them really far away with a wave of my hand._ I told him. Jasper smiled at me but it didn't reach his eyes and it disappeared too fast to be reassuring. Everyone stayed grim and quiet as we all walked back to our cars and it was starting to annoy me a lot. Just before the others stepped into their cars I burst. 'Why are you all so grim? Nothing has happened yet! We don't even know anything is _going_ to happen!' I cried.

The others turned to look at me as if I had lost my mind. This annoyed me even more. I didn't want to continue this entire ride with everyone so grim. I sat down on the ground and crossed my arms across my chest. This did it; Emmett burst out in laughter while Alice and Rosalie both did their best to hide their laughter. Jasper walked over and ruffled my hair as he always did when he thought I was amusing. 'Sometimes I forget you're still just a child Melody.' He teased. I hit his hand away but smiled up at him at the same time.

Jasper then picked me up like the small girl I am and carried me towards the car. The man from the gas station was looking at us from the little shop and waved at me. I grinned and waved back just before Jasper sat me down in the car and strapped me in. I could do that last bit myself but it felt good to be treated like the six year old I actually am from time to time. Jasper walked over to the driver's seat and sat down with a grin on his face. 'Still a child.' He muttered more to himself than to me. _But I wouldn't want it any other way_ he added as we continued down the road towards our new home.

**Jasper POV**

I was watching Melody as she was sleeping quietly in the motel bed. We wouldn't have stopped for the night normally but Melody needed to sleep and she wasn't small enough to sleep in the car anymore. She had said that it would be no problem but when she had fallen asleep for a few seconds and groaning that her neck was hurting through our mental link I had called the others to pull over at the next motel.

Melody had been talking animatedly all day which had caused me to relax but as she was sleeping now the earlier dread of Alice her vision crept back into my system. We hadn't run into the two vampires today but it was going to happen sooner or later and a bad feeling told it would be tomorrow. 'Jasper?' Esme called from the living room part of the motel room. I sighed and walked over to where the others were sitting. They were discussing what the best course of action would be to evade the vampires from Alice her vision. 'Any luck so far?' I asked as Alice came out of another vision.

Alice shook her head in defeat. 'It doesn't matter what decision we make it all ends up in a meeting between us and them.' 'But we don't know whether they'll do anything to us right?' Rosalie said but she lacked confidence as if she didn't really believe what she was saying herself. I nodded and sat down next to Carlisle. Worry was emitting from everyone except for Edward, he was only feeling really smug. I didn't really want to pay attention to him right now but he pissed me off to no end. Well at least he couldn't hear my thoughts for which I was grateful. If he could hear them this would probably end up in a fight.

'I think we have no other choice but to continue our journey and see what will happen once we meet these strangers.' Carlisle said in a defeated way. We all nodded and I could feel the concern radiating from everyone. 'I wonder how the result of each of our decisions end the same.' Emmett said. 'Maybe their following us and waiting for the right time to confront us?' Esme wondered out loud. We all looked at her in surprise. How could I have overlooked that? 'Wouldn't we have picked up their scent if that were so? At least Edward would have been able to hear their thoughts right?' Emmett said.

We all looked at Edward who just shook his head and looked if possible more frustrated than he had over the last couple of years. 'I told you this would happen sooner or later. Now you can all see the problem that is being caused by that child.' Edward spat. I growled at him and wanted to launch myself at him but Rosalie grabbed my arm and held me back. 'He's not worth it.' She growled while shooting daggers with her eyes at Edward.

Melody woke up around seven in the morning and ate her breakfast while conversing with me mentally. I told her all that had happened last night with the exception of Edward's little comment. Melody agreed with the fact that we were probably being followed but she only thought it was all very exciting. I shook my head but couldn't help smiling, leave it to Melody to see only the fun side of the problem.

'Are you ready to go little sis?' Emmett asked loudly from the doorway. Before Melody could reply Emmett had lifted her from her chair and swung her over his shoulder. He grinned at me while Melody was whining to Emmett that he had to let her go. 'You should really let her go you know.' I told Emmett. Emmett just shrugged and started carrying Melody towards the door. 'Let go!' She yelled and started banging her small fists against Emmett's back.

I could feel that she was actually hurting Emmett a bit with this. I slipped past Emmett and rushed as fast as possible for a human towards the elevator of the motel. Once I was inside I burst out in laughter about what was still happening to Emmett. I could feel his annoyance following me so I figured he was taking the stairs downstairs. _Jasper! Why didn't you help me? He won't let go! _Melody shrieked at me which only made me laugh more. _You know Emmett, he won't let go and he'll probably hold you even longer if you keep screaming like that_ I replied.

A second later the shrieking stopped and I could hear Melody grumble in her thoughts to me but she didn't say anything intelligible. I arrived at the cars before Emmett did. Normally a vampire would be faster than an elevator but Emmett had to walk at a human pace which made him much slower. I leaned on the hood of my car with a grin on my face as I looked at the motel exit. Alice skipped over to me and leaned on the hood next to me. 'I know you're kind of happy now but Melody is going to be a drag in the car the next two hours.' She chirped. She was feeling really smug which made me grit my teeth. Alice was never wrong about these things and now I was kind of dreading the next two hours.

'Thanks Alice, you just made my day.' I said sarcastically. 'I'm just telling you what I saw.' Alice shrugged. 'Maybe I could help though.' Her eyes went out of focus like they always do when she had a vision. She came out of it again quickly and was feeling really happy about something. 'What did you see?' 'I'm going to ride with you and Melody today!' She chirped happily. I looked at her questioningly. 'You're raising your right eyebrow again.' Alice pointed out. I scowled at her for noticing again. I always raise my right eyebrow when I give someone a questioning look but Alice loved to point this out as if it was an abnormality.

'To answer your look', She said, smugness now coming from her in waves, 'Melody will start whining the moment Emmett puts her down and you will almost beg me to drive with you guys so that I can talk with Melody about girly things. Everything to keep her from nagging about you not helping her with Emmett.' I sighed heavily and was wondering which I would find worse, Melody nagging or girl talk.

My question was answered the moment Emmett walked towards us from the motel and put Melody down. The moment the girl was free from Emmett she turned around and assaulted me with what felt like a river of words. Most of it was 'it's not fair!' and 'You left me!' and the one that came back the most was 'I hate you!' I loved being an empath at this point because even though she said she hates me now I could feel that this wasn't true. 'I'm really sorry Mel.' I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

Melody ignored my apology completely and went to sit in the back of my car without even looking at me. I sighed in defeat and turned to Alice. 'Would you like to ride with us today?' I asked. 'Sure I would, thank you so much for asking dear brother.' Alice said, faking innocence. She stepped into the back of the car and immediately started talking with Melody. They were going really fast about everything that had happened from breakfast up until now. 'I so do not envy you right now.' Emmett said while shaking his head sympathetically.

I prepared myself mentally before stepping into my car. The girls were chatting away in the back of the car but lucky for me they had started talking about clothing. Alice was already planning their first shopping trip and I could feel Melody's excitement of the prospect of actually going shopping.

**Melody POV**

'We have to go shopping soon.' Alice chirped happily. 'You will love shopping with Rosalie and me… maybe even Esme will come with us.' I nodded energetically. 'I've waited so long to go shopping!' I squeaked happily. 'I want to go to clothing shops and buy new shoes en lovely ribbons for my hair.' I started naming other things I wanted to see and buy. Alice her eyes were shining brightly and I think she was as happy to go shopping with me as I was to go with her.

I hadn't even noticed we had begun moving again until Jasper started sharing his not so positive thoughts about Edward's driving style with me. _That idiot is going to get himself arrested one of these days. His mind reading won't be able to safe him every time. Well, I won't wait for him if he has to stand on the side of the road while the police give him a lecture on his driving style._ I giggled which earned me a scowl from Jasper and a frown from Alice.

'Jasper isn't happy with Edward's driving style.' I explained to Alice. She nodded in understanding while Jasper just continued scowling but this time towards Edward's car. 'It's too bad he never gets pulled over by the police, isn't it?' Alice said dreamily as if she was whishing Edward would be pulled over right now. I agreed with her though, Edward needs something like being pulled over by the police to show him he's not all mighty.

The next few hours went by quickly. Alice and I spend the time talking about all kinds of things, mostly mentally. Jasper joined in on our conversations from time to time when we spoke out loud but he was mostly quiet. Jasper still grumbled about Edward's driving style and emotions but I filtered them out. He just had to vent his frustrations and our mental link was the safest way as no one could hear it but me.

I got hungry around lunch time so I crawled over to the front passengers seat. 'Melody! That's dangerous!' Jasper exclaimed, looking at me in shock. 'Keep your eyes on the road Jasper and stop worrying about me because I'm just fine.' I said. 'You really are too smart for your age Melody.' Jasper said. I huffed at him, crossed my arms over my chest and looked out the front window. 'Ah, don't do that Melody.' Jasper pleaded but I ignored him. _Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?_ Jasper asked through our mental link. I sighed and looked at Jasper with what I hoped was an annoyed look on my face. 'Yes… I'm getting hungry and was wondering whether we could stop for a second to eat something.' 'There will be a little diner on the right side of the road in a few minutes.' Alice chirped.

'I'll tell Rosalie and Esme but how do we tell Edward?' I asked. 'I think Edward already knows since he can read my mind.' Alice tapped on the side of her head as if this made her point. I shook my head and told Esme and Rosalie about my lunch plan at the diner. They both agreed and we soon pulled into the diner parking lot. 'This isn't the place of your vision is it Alice?' Carlisle asked a bit nervous. Alice and I both shook our heads but Alice answered. 'My vision was at an empty road with no diner to speak of in sight.' She said confidently.

Carlisle and Esme visibly relaxed and walked with me towards the diner to buy my lunch. Luckily the man behind the counter didn't question Carlisle and Esme's lack of appetite while I ordered a sandwich with lettuce, cheese, tomato and egg. The man behind the counter gave me a balloon which made me happy. I walked out of the diner while eating my sandwich with a large grin on my face. _You sure look and feel happy_ Jasper commented. _This is the first time I've ever gone to a diner in my life and I even got a balloon! Of course I'm happy_.

We walked over to the cars and they all let me eat my sandwich in peace before we set off. I was sitting in the front seat again babbling happily about the things Alice and I had talked about earlier. 'And we're going to have dinner at a fancy restaurant and I can try on as many dresses as I want and I can buy music.' I told Jasper who listened to everything quietly. I wanted to continue but then Alice gasped in the back seat. Jasper's face turned grim which scared me. _What's wrong? _ I asked Jasper quietly.

_I don't know but Alice is projecting a lot of fear. _Jasper replied. I turned to Alice to ask what was wrong but before I could say anything she spoke herself. 'We have to pull over… NOW!' She exclaimed. I didn't understand why but Jasper did as he was told. I could see the others doing the same and a second later I understood why. In the middle of the road stood the two vampires I had seen in Alice her vision. I hadn't paid any attention to what the vampires looked like exactly when I saw the vision but this time I did.

The one on the right had sandy coloured, tousled hair which was hanging half in his face. He wasn't really tall or broad but had an air of strength around him which told me to stay away from him. The vampire next to him was totally different. He was short but broad, almost as broad as Emmett, and had half long dark hair pulled back in a pony tail. They both wore normal jeans and dark hoodies but the one thing I noticed above all else were their red eyes.

**Jasper POV**

We all got out of our cars and grouped together at Carlisle's car which was closest to the two vampires. Melody came to stand close to me and I could feel her fear. I put an arm around her and pulled her closer. For once she didn't complain about being protected which scared me; she had never been afraid of anything before now. She had seen me hunt while flying and she had even fought a mountain lion once to test her strength. She had done everything with a smile on her face, never being scared of anything.

_Jasper… their eyes… they're red…_ Melody's mental voice was but a whisper but I could still hear her. _It's going to be alright Mel, don't worry._ I told her. She relaxed a little at my side but her fear wasn't diminished. 'So you finally show yourselves.' Emmett growled. I could feel protectiveness rise in him and was once again glad that Emmett cared for Melody so much. I focused on the emotions of the other vampires but all I could feel was overconfidence. Edward however felled annoyed and angry but I don't think that he felt that way because of these two vampires.

Before I could ask him about this Carlisle began to talk. 'Hello, my name is Carlisle and this is my family.' Carlisle motioned to the rest of us with a smile on his face but I could feel the smile didn't go further than his face, inside he felt scared for the safety of his family. 'Family?' The short vampire spat. 'Vampires live in covens, not families.' The short vampire took a step forward but the other one stopped him. 'So you live in a family instead of a coven… Is that the reason you have golden eyes?' the taller one asked. 'No, this is because we feed on animals instead of humans.' Carlisle explained.

The short one snorted at this but stopped quickly when the taller one gave him a glare. 'What are your names?' Carlisle asked as if he hadn't been interrupted. 'I'll tell you mine when you tell me yours.' the tall one said with a smirk on his face. 'My name is Carlisle Cullen.' Carlisle said. He then motioned to the rest of us. 'This is my wife Esme, My sons Edward, Emmett and Jasper and my daughters Rosalie, Alice and Melody.' We all nodded our heads when our names were called but otherwise remained quiet.

'Well… a deal is a deal. I'm Zackary Daniels and this is my friend Theodore Green.' Zackary said, motioning to himself and Theodore while he was speaking. 'Would you mind telling me and my family why you have been following us?' Carlisle asked when it appeared Zackary wasn't going to say any more. 'We have just been interested in the small one over there.' Theodore said while pointing towards Melody. Edward glared at Melody now as if all of this was her fault. I growled at him but he ignored me and positioned himself against the hood of Carlisle's car.

If things had been different I would have gotten seriously angry with him but right now wasn't the time to do so. I ignored him and focused on Zackary and Theodore who were still looking at Melody. 'What is she?' Zackary asked. 'She is part of the family.' Carlisle replied calmly. Theodore barked out a harsh laugh at this which made me growl at him. _Jasper don't_ Melody said only to me. I nodded and relaxed a little bit. 'You weren't planning on attacking me now were you?' Theodore asked sarcastically.

'Stay calm Theodore we only want to know more about the little girl.' Zackary said. Melody crawled further behind me, her fear hitting me hard. 'I can see you're overly protective of her.' Zackary commented. 'What's it to you?' I snarled, unable to keep myself calm. 'She looks human but I smell something different. I was just wondering what that something is and I believe it has something to do with what she is.' Zackary explained.

'Why would you care what she is?' Emmett growled. 'Someone I know who has great power wants to know, that's all.' Zackary replied. 'Someone who has great power? Who are you talking about? The Volturi?' Rosalie asked. 'Hah, the Volturi have nothing to do with this. Just tell us what we want to know and we'll be on our way. Or maybe… you could just give us the girl so we can take her to our friend.' 'Never!' I spat, crouching into a fight stance. 'So that's how it's going to be.' Theodore growled before crouching down himself. 'Theodore, I don't think this is the best idea.' Zackary drawled. Theodore looked at Zackary and shook his head. 'Just a little bit Zack, you know, to teach them a small lesson.' 'Fine, have it your way.' Zackary took a step back and shook his head. 'Do whatever you want Theo.' Zackary waved his hand dismissively and with that, Theodore launched himself at Melody and me.

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**So, Melody's POV... what did you think? And what about Zackary and Theodore? Let me know please! the more reviews the better ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	12. Zackary

**Thanks again for the reviews! I want to thank Jenna in particular because she reviewed almost all my chapters in one day (!). I couldn't reply on the reviews because she's not a member so I'll do it like this ^_^ Thank you! **

**Every review I get means a lot to me so please keep it up everyone!**

**And now on to chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I now own Melody, Zackary and Theodore but the rest still isn't mine...**

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**Jasper POV**

The one called Theodore was faster than I had expected. I pushed Melody backwards and launched myself at Theodore before he could reach any of my family. We hit each other in midair causing a sound like thunder to erupt from us. We both fell back from the impact but I was on my feet again in no time. Theodore had done the same thing and was once again crouched down. I wasn't afraid though because Theodore was full of openings which would make it easy for me to beat him.

_Jasper be careful! _Melody whispered in my head. She was still feeling a lot of fear _Don't worry Mel, he won't be able to lay a finger on me_. I crouched down and Theodore and I started circling each other. I didn't want to make Melody more afraid than necessary so I decided a quick finish was the best way. Zackary didn't seem too interested in the fight and he didn't emit any hostile emotions towards me. If anything he seemed a bit bored.

I didn't have any more time to think about this though because Theodore launched an attack again. I just had to laugh at his attack style. He was like a newborn; he went for the easy, crazed attack. There were never any thoughts behind these kinds of attacks and it left the attacker full of openings. I sidestepped his launch easily and brought my right fist up against his left jaw with as much force as I thought would do the trick. Theodore shot away from me and landed on his back a good hundred feet behind Zackary.

'Damn you!' Theodore growled, emitting a lot of anger now. _Jasper, Alice just told me it will be an easy victory_ Melody told me while feeling a bit happier than before. I smirked at this which made Theodore even angrier. He would be even easier to defeat now. Theodore spat some venom out of his mouth on the ground and launched himself at me again. I was ready for him though and grabbed him in a headlock before he could lay a finger on me. 'Why you little!' Theodore croaked. He tried to break free but my hold on him was too strong to break free from.

'Theo, just admit you are defeated.' Zackary drawled. 'No… not yet.' Theodore growled. I could feel that he was still determined to break free but his will was crumbling fast. 'If you don't surrender now I will rip you limb from limb.' I hissed. 'I'll never surrender!' Theodore yelled. 'Have it your way. Emmett! Make sure Melody doesn't see this.' I said to my brother. I could feel Melody's fear disappear even more now and her annoyance grew which told me that Emmett had shielded her eyes.

I turned my entire attention back to Theodore, twisted my grip and pulled at the same time. A loud metal like screech sounded and next Theodore's head dropped down next to me on the ground. Before the rest of him could do anything I pulled his arms and legs off and piled them up. 'Rosalie, do you have a light?' I asked without looking away from the pile of writhing body parts. Before Rosalie could react, Edward beat her to it. 'Jasper, get away from that pile right now!' he yelled. I didn't understand why but I could feel fear from both him and Alice so I did what he said and jumped back towards my family.

A second later the remains of Theodore burst into a blazing greenish fire on its own, incinerating the spot where I had been standing a second before that. I could feel shock from everyone except Edward and Alice. Melody took advantage of the distraction and was at my side in a second. _Jasper… look at Zackary._ Melody thought. I turned my gaze away from the pyre and towards Zackary just in time to see him blow green smoke from his hand. 'What the…' I whispered.

Zackary looked up at my whisper and smirked. _You were not supposed to see that Scarface_ he whispered in my head. Shock flowed from me then. No one had ever been able to talk to me like that except for Melody. I was also shocked that this vampire was able to break through the shield that Melody had on me at all times. 'Jasper… what's wrong? You're projecting shock to all of us.' Carlisle said, sounding worried. I took control of my power again and could feel my family relax. 'It's Zackary… he spoke to me in my mind.' I explained. I could now feel shock from the others, even Alice was shocked.

'Well I hate to leave in the middle of all this but I guess I have no choice since you obviously need to talk about this some more.' Zackary drawled, making him the focus of our attention again. 'You're not going anywhere!' Emmett growled and he launched himself towards Zackary. 'Emmett no!' Rosalie screamed but it wasn't necessary. Zackary smirked at us one more time before he literally burst into green flames, hiding him from view. Emmett halted his attack and looked at his opponent with a confused look on his face. Before any of us could react to what had happened the flame disappeared. I was prepared to see a pile of ashes but to my amazement nothing remained; Zackary had disappeared.

It took us all a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. A vampire had just burst into flames and disappeared completely, that didn't really happen on a daily basis. 'I don't think so.' Edward said. We all looked at him for an explanation as he had obviously answered someone's thoughts. 'Esme thought that Zackary might have died in the flames.' Edward explained to us. 'I agree with Edward.' Carlisle said. 'He didn't look afraid of the flames.' We all nodded in agreement and looked back at the spot Zackary had disappeared from. No sign of fire was left, not even a scorch mark on the road.

Alice was the first to talk again, 'I suggest we get on with our journey because some cars will come by soon and I don't think it's normal for us to be standing on the road like this.' She said. We all went to our cars and were on our way again in a second. I still couldn't believe what had happened just now. There was no way a vampire could have survived a fire like that and that Theodore guy had proved that. He had burst into the same green flames as Zackary had but unlike him, Theodore hadn't survived.

_It looked like Zackary created the fire around him himself. _Melody thought. I looked at her in confusion, _Why would a vampire burn himself?_ I asked. _I don't think he burned himself. It was more like the fire was an escape hatch for him._ I thought about what Melody was saying for a few seconds before answering. _Maybe you're right… It also looked like he was the one who had burned Theodore… I wonder if that is his gift…_ Melody nodded but was still troubled _He has more powers though… he could also talk to you in your mind and with that break through the shield I have around you. _

I thought about what she had said and had to agree; Edward wasn't able to hear my thoughts so how did that Zackary talk to me in my mind. Melody didn't seem to know how Zackary had done it either which seemed to trouble her. 'Why are you both so glum?' Alice squeaked then which stopped my train of thought abruptly. 'Why do you think we are glum Alice?' I asked in return, trying to sound as sarcastic as possible.

'Oh come on, the danger has past for now so why not enjoy the rest of the ride?' Alice chirped happily. I scowled at her but couldn't help laughing a second later; it was typically Alice to see the bright side of things even when it was hard to find a bright side. 'I guess you're right.' Melody said matter-of-factly. She turned around towards Alice with a grin. 'So Alice, about our shopping trip…' She said suggestively. I shook my head and wasn't surprised at all when Alice began to talk about different shops Melody "had to see". I let them have their conversation while my own thoughts went back to the encounter from earlier.

**Carlisle POV**

Esme and I both sat quietly in the car both engrossed in our own thoughts. I still couldn't believe what had just happened no matter how many times I played the scene back in my head. Something was wrong but I just couldn't see what that thing was. Theodore had seemed like a normal vampire with a bit of a temper. He had reminded me a bit of Emmett but then in a negative way. He hadn't seemed that old either. The attack on Jasper and Melody was too straight forward for an experienced vampire. No older vampire would go for the easy kill when he had to fight against Jasper. Jasper was too covered in scars to be taken lightly and experienced vampires would first think things through and come up with a good plan of attack.

Zackary had been the total opposite of Theodore. He had been relaxed even though he stood against a large coven. I also got the feeling that he was testing and evaluating us but I couldn't be sure of that. He wasn't shocked when Jasper ripped apart Theodore nor had he been angry when his friend had burst into flames. Of course the biggest mystery is what had happened to him? He had gone up in the green flames but nothing had remained as evidence that he had died.

Esme had wondered whether Zackary might be dead but I had to agree with Edward that this was unlikely. I also wanted to talk with Edward soon to ask whether he had heard anything that might help from Zackary's thoughts. We would definitely have a family meeting about this when we next stopped.

When the sky was totally dark out Esme broke out of her thoughts. She turned towards me with a motherly smile on her face and I knew Melody had asked for a break. 'Did she say where?' I asked. 'Alice saw a nice motel close by, about ten more minutes down the road.' Esme explained. I nodded and kept driving until the sign of the motel showed that the next exit would lead to it.

Alice had been right, the motel was nice looking. It wasn't very big but it did have rooms with a separate bedroom which we needed for Melody. I went to the front desk to get a room after which the rest followed me up the stairs. I could see the desk clerk look at us in confusion and I didn't need Edward's mind reading to know that he was confused about the number of people going into one room.

The room was nice enough and Jasper informed us that Melody thought the bed was great. Apparently it was very fluffy and soft. I smiled at the youthfulness of my daughter. She had been through so much in her short life but she stayed happy and carefree through it all. 'Carlisle? You were thinking about holding a meeting earlier right?' Edward said, interrupting my thoughts. 'Yes, I did.' I replied. I sat down on the small couch and motioned for the rest to sit down too. Vampires didn't really need to sit down to feel comfortable but in situations like these it just felt nicer to sit than stand.

I took an unnecessary deep breath and started to address my family. 'I would like to talk about what happened earlier today on the road.' I said and waited for their reaction. Rosalie was the first to react. 'I say we should be on our guard from now on. I don't think we've seen the last of that Zackary guy.' Alice nodded at this. 'I don't see anything happening in the future for now but I'll keep my guard up for anything that might happen.' I smiled proudly at my daughters for a second before Emmett took the spotlight. 'Let that dude come!' Emmett boomed, 'I can take care of him in a second.' He smacked his right fist in his left hand to emphasize his point which earned him a smack on the back of his head from Rosalie.

'You idiot, that Zackary is dangerous. He didn't seem intimidated by any of us which probably means he would be able to take us on if necessary.' Emmett started grumbling that no one could take him on but didn't press his point. 'If I may…' Jasper began. We all turned towards him. 'Melody and I were talking earlier and we came to the idea that Zackary might have caused the fires.' We all looked at him questioningly; why would a vampire set himself on fire? Jasper looked at all of us in turn before continuing. 'When Theodore burst into flames all of a sudden Melody told me to look at Zackary. I was a little too late but I could clearly see him blowing green smoke from his hand as if he had just put out a fire there. Later he didn't look scared of the fire which seemed to consume him either and I couldn't feel any fear coming from him…' Jasper explained.

We all took a few seconds to think about this news. Esme was the first to speak, 'Jasper dear, it seems like there was more you wanted to say.' She said quietly. Jasper nodded slowly as if he didn't really want to say anything. 'Right before Zackary burst into those green flames something strange happened. Melody had told me to look at him and like I said before he had green smoke coming from his hand. He then looked at me and I heard his voice in my head, saying I shouldn't have seen that. I just don't know how he broke through Melody's shield so easily. I asked Melody whether she knew but she didn't know.'

'Edward… could you hear anything from Zackary?' I asked. Edward shook his head, 'I couldn't hear anything Carlisle. The only thoughts I heard were coming from that Theodore guy.' 'Then how did you know I had to jump away?' Jasper asked. 'That was me.' Alice said. 'I had a vision about what would happen to Theodore and Edward just beat me in yelling it to you.' She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. 'Did you see where the flames had come from?' I asked. Alice shook her head, 'I only saw Theodore instantaneously burning up.'

We were all silent after this, each of us thinking about what had been said. Jasper was the first to leave. He went to the small bedroom to sit by Melody while she slept. Alice and Rosalie soon decided to talk quietly about shopping and clothes and Esme joined them a few seconds later. Edward took a book from his bag and started reading.

'I'm going for a run.' Emmett told no one in particular. I thought for a moment before I turned to Emmett. 'Can I come with you?' I asked. Emmett looked surprised for a second before he started to smile. 'Sure, no problem.' He said and we took off downstairs. I never really needed a run to clear my head before now, but so much I couldn't explain had happened today. Now I felt like a run might clear my head a bit and maybe help me find an answer to all this.

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**Review and let me know what you thought of this chapter ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	13. The new house

**I want to thank Isabel Southwell and dreaming-of-jace for the ONLY two reviews I got. It really made my day when I got them. I did get kind of demotivated because I can see that every time I update about 60 people read this story and I only get 2 reviews... I don't want to say that I won't update if I won't get enough reviews... I'm sure that everyone who writes and posts fanfics likes to get reviews... **

**So please please please review! just say you like or dislike it! give me feedback! Maybe even give me suggestions? Anything!**

**Ok... after this rant (sorry by the way...)it's time for the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but Melody and Zackary (Theodore is gone so yeah... can't really own him anymore)**

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**Rosalie POV**

Only two more hours before we would arrive at our new home but I couldn't relax. I was still shocked about what had happened yesterday and afraid for what might still come. If I had to believe what Jasper had told us then we hadn't seen the last of the strange vampire called Zackary.

I glanced to the passenger seat to see Emmett looking out the front window with a goofy grin on his face. I shook my head and focussed on the road again; of course my happy husband would be excited about the new house. Would he even think about what had happened? He probably would… but not in the way the rest of us would. We were all worried but Emmett was probably only thinking about what kind of fight it would be and how he might win it.

I really loved my husband with all my heart but he could really be dim sometimes. 'Rosie, how much longer until we arrive at our new home?' Emmett asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. 'I think about two more hours of driving before we get there.' I told him. 'Okay. I can't wait to go hunting and taste some of the Canadian wildlife.' He said, a dreamy look coming into his eyes. I could see that he was very excited of that prospect and couldn't help but smile. I really did love him.

We arrived at our new home town two hours later and Emmett was practically bouncing in his seat. 'Emmett calm down before you destroy my car for which I will never forgive you.' I growled at him. He took my threat seriously but was still too excited for comfort. Carlisle led us through the small town until we came to the police station. He motioned for us to stay put before he went inside with Esme.

**Esme POV**

Carlisle stopped the car in front of the police station and we got out. I breathed in the fresh air of the small town and felled relieved to have arrived here unharmed after all that had happened. Carlisle motioned to the others to stay put in their cars before we went into the police station.

The woman behind the desk looked up and I saw the usual look come into her eyes. The first time this happened I felt a bit uneasy but now I was used to it. This woman felt intimidated by us and I couldn't blame her. It didn't matter what we would wear or how we put our hair, we were always more beautiful than a normal human. The intimidating feeling was also caused by the fact that humans were our natural food source. They were always attracted to us from a distance but would start feeling uncomfortable when we came too close.

We approached the desk and I let Carlisle do the talking while I looked around. This was a great little building but it still had a lot of potential to become even better. I heard the woman say that she would see whether the chief was busy and she soon left through a door. 'I wonder if the chief would let me redecorate this place.' I mused out loud. Carlisle took my hand and smiled, 'Maybe he will but first we need our own house.'

The desk woman soon came back and motioned for us to follow her into the chief's office. The office was what you might expect. A large desk stood in the back on which a computer stood. Some paperwork lay on a pile on the other side of the desk and a name plate stood in the front centre letting us know that we were dealing with Chief Brown. Large steel cabinets filled with papers and books decorated the walls. Chief Brown himself was what you could expect from a policeman in a small town. He was quite round and still had some sugar from a doughnut in his moustache which he had evidently eaten earlier.

Chief Brown looked Carlisle and me over from top to toe before he grabbed our file and started to flip through it. 'Cullen I presume?' Chief Brown asked in a rather bored tone. Carlisle nodded but stayed silent, waiting for the chief to continue. 'Well, welcome to our lovely town. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and if there is anything I can do for you don't hesitate to call.' Chief Brown continued in the same bored tone. He then handed us some pamphlets about the town, a map and en the keys of our house after which he told us he was really busy which indicated we should leave. We thanked him for the information and the welcome and walked out of the office, back to the others.

'Can we go now please?' Emmett whined the moment we stepped outside. Rosalie sighed at her husband's behaviour but didn't do anything, probably giving up correcting him for the day. 'Yes Emmett we can go now.' I said soothingly which made a large smile appear on my bear like son's face. He practically jumped back in the car looking ahead of him as if expecting the car to start moving on its own. Rosalie sighed again and stepped into the other side of the car after which we all did the same.

The drive to the house only took us ten minutes. Carlisle stopped the car in front of the house and all I could do was look at the gorgeous house that was now ours. It was old fashioned and stylish and I loved it already. The pictures I had seen hadn't done it any justice. Of course it was large but it still looked cosy enough. I stepped out of the car and Carlisle drove to the back where the garage was. In the corner of my eye I could see Emmett, Melody and Alice stepping out of their respective cars. Melody took a deep breath before her wings folded out behind her. Emmett waited impatiently for Rosalie to get back while his eyes kept darting towards the forest which surrounded the house.

Alice and Melody walked over and stood next to me admiring the house. 'It's lovely.' Melody finally said. I smiled and hugged my small daughter as tight as I dared. Alice didn't say anything as she had already expressed her opinion about the house when she had seen it in one of her visions. Carlisle, Rosalie, Jasper and Edward came to our side a second later. 'Sorry that we kept you waiting.' Carlisle said as he took my hand. He handed me the key to the house, giving me the honour of opening the door to our new home.

**Jasper POV**

Carlisle gave Esme the key to the house and she smiled at him in a grateful way. Carlisle knew she would love to be the one to open the door and he was right, Esme was radiating happiness. Melody tucked at my arm then and I looked down to see her looking at me with a question written on her face. I smiled down at her before picking her up and holding her on my left arm. She was feeling really excited which I presume was normal as this was the first real move for her.

Esme stepped forward and turned the key in the lock. We all heard the click coming from the lock and I could feel Esme's happiness growing. The door swung open and Esme and Carlisle stepped inside. Alice soon followed, feeling really excited, and I followed, still holding Melody. The little girl was stunned to silence, normal and mental. She looked around the room in awe and I had to agree with her, this house was something different.

Normally we lived in quite modern houses, everything straight and light colours. This house was nothing like that. The outside looked like a very large cabin in the woods and the inside was the same. A huge hearth was build against the wall, a few feet from the door and snug looking couches were standing in a circle opposite this hearth. A wooden table stood in the middle of the couch circle and to the left was a round bay window with a broad windowsill and a view on the forest.

_I would love that to be my spot_ Melody said showing me a picture of her sitting in on the broad windowsill. I nodded to her before turning towards the winding staircase which would lead to the second floor. The stairs were made of what looked like tree bark and was about six feet wide making it possible for two people to walk on it side by side. As it so happened I walked up the stairs next to Emmett who was feeling more and more impatient about something by the minute.

The second floor had a couple of doors on the left and right which were probably bedrooms. As Esme had already made sure the rooms were furnished she knew exactly which room would belong to whom. The first door on the right would be Esme and Carlisle's room. It was decorated in light beige colours and was simple but nice nonetheless. The room a bit further down on the left would be Alice her room. The room was busy with lots of colours and accessories, typically Alice. Said person wasn't surprised by the room though and I guessed she had already seen it in a vision.

The room next to Carlisle and Esme's room was for Rosalie and Emmett. This room had light colours and looked altogether soft to the eye. It was totally Rose but it also had a hint of Emmett in it due to the accessories like a painting of a large racing car. Melody's room was on the third floor and was entirely painted in earthy colours. I could feel awe and gratitude coming from her and knew that she loved it before she said anything. She then opened and closed her mouth several times but wasn't able to find the right words. Esme looked at her and thankfully understood. 'It's alright little one, I know you like it.' She said, giving Melody a small kiss on her forehead.

My room was opposite of Melody's room which meant I could no longer walk to her as easily as before. It did make sense though, Melody was older now and as her mental state was that of a teenager she would like to have some privacy. My room was decorated in a combination of dark and light colours just the way I like it. I wasn't surprised though, Esme knew us through and through.

On the top floor was Edward's room. His just had normal off white colours and the walls were lined with bookcases. Any other person might think this boring but it was exactly what Edward would want.

'I hope you all like your rooms.' Esme said. We all nodded at this which made her smile. 'All your rooms have a bathroom attached and Jasper's room and our room', Esme pointed to Carlisle and herself, 'have a study attached too. 'Thank you Esme.' I said, giving my mother a one armed hug; Melody was still balanced on my other arm. 'You're welcome dear.' She said and I could feel her love for all of us flowing from her in waves.

'Can we go hunting now?' Emmett blurred out at vampire speed. He had been growing more and more impatient by the second since going up to see the rooms. I had also felt his thirst growing but decided to ignore it. I was thirsty too but ever since I had found Melody my thirst had been easier and easier to ignore. A few years ago I would have been in a lot of pain because of my own thirst and that of the others only added up to that. Being around Melody all the time helped me control my thirst and right now I could just ignore it to a point I almost didn't notice it was there.

'Fine, we can go hunting now.' Rosalie said but I could feel that she was a bit reluctant. Normally when we moved to a new home Rosalie and Alice spend the first hour in their rooms looking at everything and putting all their personal belongings and clothes in their proper place. Emmett jumped up in joy and sped down the stairs followed closely by Rosalie. Carlisle chuckled softly before turning to us. 'I think it would be good for all of us to go hunting.' He said. We all nodded and were outside a second later.

Edward sped off immediately, not waiting for any of us. Alice huffed indignantly at this but remained where she was. 'Why can't he ever wait for any of us… Hunting with us can't be that bad can it?' I just shrugged but didn't comment. I had taken to just ignoring Edward as much as possible which wasn't as hard as I had first thought. He couldn't get into my head anymore which made life a whole lot easier and as I was almost always somewhere near Melody he avoided me a much as possible. He would just sit in his room most of the time or go hunting on his own which was fine by me.

_Are you going to follow us again?_ I asked Melody. The little girl nodded and I released my hold a bit so that she could fly up. Alice and I looked at each other for a second before shooting off into the woods. Every time we went hunting we had a bit of a game, the first one to catch a carnivore would win and the other would have to do something in return. Alice usually knew who would win but I was ahead of her this time. _Mel, can you block Alice her visions of me?_ I asked. _Sure, no problem._ Melody said in her singing voice.

A second later I could feel Alice getting frustrated and I knew it worked. 'Not fair Whitlock.' She growled but she wasn't angry. This would level out the playing field as she wouldn't be able to see what was going to happen. Melody her shielding power normally didn't work on Alice as she had made a mental link with her but she could also close that link and thus blocking her visions of Melody and anyone shielded by her, in this case me.

_Jasper, a bear is about a mile to the north east from you_ Melody told me a few seconds later. I smiled inwardly and thanked her before shooting off in that direction. I could feel Alice her confusion as she followed me. The wind was coming from behind us so Alice wouldn't be able to smell the bear yet, I was so going to win this one!

Melody had of course been right as I soon picked up the bear scent. Alice had caught it too by now but she was too far behind to catch up with me let alone go past me to get to the bear first. She had probably been thinking that I was leading her into a trap or something and therefore hadn't tried to catch up with me. I now followed my instinct and found the bear near a small river where it was drinking. I pounced quickly and sank my teeth into the beard jugular. The blood felt great in my aching throat which had started to hurt more and more during the hunt. The idea of drinking still made my throat burn badly even though my control had gotten much better.

I buried the carcass of the bear and looked up to find Alice leaning against a tree with a scowl on her face. 'No way could you have found that bear from that far when the wind was coming from the wrong direction.' She growled. He shrugged but couldn't stop a grin from spreading across my face. 'Melody helped you didn't she… she blocked our mental link which caused my visions to disappear… and then she told you where the bear was…' 'busted… I guess.' Alice sighed but she was more amused than angry. 'Melody! Can you please restore our link?' She called up to the little bird that was Melody. _Are you done with the game then?_ Melody asked. _Yes, I won so you can restore Alice her visions._ I told her.

Alice sighed in relief as her eyes glazed over a second later. She broke out of the vision with a growl though. 'You've got to be kidding me!' She exclaimed. I couldn't help myself at that moment and burst out laughing. Alice had seen what she would have to do for me now that she had lost and she apparently didn't like it. _What's wrong with Alice?_ Melody ask as she started to fly down towards us. _Nothing, she just doesn't like the fact that she will have to file all my war books and papers._ Melody landed and gave me a questioning look. _That doesn't sound that bad. _She mused. _Trust me, if there's anything Alice hates it's filing._ I send Melody the emotions I was feeling from Alice to emphasise my point. Alice was feeling angry, frustrated and bored already at the prospect of filing my files and a small grin spread across Melody's face.

'Jasper… please… anything but that… You know I hate it.' Alice then started to beg. I shook my head, 'this is payback for all the shopping trips I had to go on because you beat me.' I told her. Alice hung her head in defeat, knowing I wouldn't budge. 'Fine, you win.' She finally said. 'Well, if you two will excuse me now, I still have to hunt and I think you will need more than just that bear dear brother.' I nodded and we ran off to find another prey as Melody once again shot into the air to follow us.

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**As I said in the AN above, PLEASE REVIEW! **

**~Marieke~**


	14. Looking for a school

**I got four reviews this time! ^_^ To the ones who reviewed, thank you! I'm glad to know the opinion from four people about this story but I would also love to hear the opinion of all my other readers. So don't be shy and review this time!**

**I also got to questions in one review from an anonymous reviewer. I couldn't reply to that so I'm going to answer the questions here:**

**Q: Why is this a romance fic? Should it be a family one?  
A: This was only chapter 13 and the end isn't near yet. Be patient, the romance part will come.**

**Q: Do Jasper and Alice come together in this one?  
A: Alice and Jasper won't come together in this fic and neither will Alice and Edward. Bella will be introduced in the story (just not yet) and Edward will end up with her. Alice will find her soulmate, don't worry about that, but it will take some time to get there.**

**That was it for the AN this time so on to the next chapter**

**~I still don't own anything but Melody and Zackary~**

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**Jasper POV**

For the first time in a long while I couldn't quite focus on the book I was reading. I glanced over the top of my book to see Alice shooting daggers at me from behind my desk. I smirked at her and returned to my book, pretending to ignore her. It had been two days since our little hunting match and Alice was still not done with the filing of my books and papers. It didn't really help her that she was distracted by every little thing and had sped out of the room several times over the past two days. Every time she did this she claimed it was because of an important vision but I knew better. It was hard to fool an empath and Alice was really not that good in faking her emotions so every time she had run off I had dragged her back.

Alice huffed and stalked past me with her arms full with books. I followed her with my eyes to see her put the books in the bookcase in the right place. 'There, that was the last of them.' Alice said, looking around the room and feeling proud. I slowly got up from my chair and looked around. I had to admit it; Alice had done a great job though she could have done it faster. 'I guess you're done, thanks Alice.' I smirked at her with which I earned a scowl from her before she rushed out of the door.

'I need to go shopping now!' Alice yelled downstairs. I shook my head and headed down to find Alice standing in the middle of the room. 'Alice… you do know Esme and Rosalie are out right?' I asked dryly. 'And I don't think Edward or Emmett would like to join you.' Alice looked at me as if I had just insulted her, but soon enough her eyes began to sparkle again. 'Melody is still around right? I can take her shopping!' She concentrated with her eyes close for a few seconds before opening her eyes again which were getting dangerously black. 'I can't contact Melody… why is that Jasper?' Alice hissed.

I send Alice a calming wave before I began. 'Melody offered to block your link today so you wouldn't walk away again and you would be able to finish the task today.' I explained. Alice her eyes were a bit lighter now and I could feel her anger ebb away. She sat down on the couch and looked at me questioningly, 'So… about where Esme, Rose and Melody are…?' 'They are out to sign in for school.' I explained. Alice nodded but didn't react though I could tell she was disappointed. 'I wanted to go with them.' She finally confessed. 'Well, that's the price you have to pay when you lose a match.' I said smugly before I plopped down on the couch next to her.

**Melody POV**

Elementary school… They had to be kidding right? I was way beyond elementary level and they wanted me to go to school here? Why couldn't Esme just home school me like before? This was so unfair. I glared at Esme and Rosalie from where I was sitting but they didn't react. I had already tried to talk to them silently but they had just ignored me so glaring was all I had left. I had also contacted Jasper about what was happening but he just said it would be "good for me" to go to school. Yeah right, as if.

'Thank you so much, I'm sure Melody will love it here.' Esme said with her motherly tone to the principal. I normally loved it when she was speaking in that tone but right now I couldn't stand it. Rosalie and Esme both shook the principal's hand before turning to me and smiling broadly. I huffed and looked away from them; I wasn't going to forgive any of them for a long time. I saw Esme look at Rosalie from the corner of my eye before she grabbed me and held me tight so I couldn't squirm away. She once again said goodbye to the principal and carried me outside before I could say anything. Rosalie walked behind us and smirked at me which only made me angrier.

Esme didn't let go of me until we came to the car. She put me down and opened the door for me but I ignored her. I ran towards the forest as fast as my legs would carry me without looking back. I knew that Esme and Rosalie were following me but I also knew they weren't using their vampire speed. I should have thought of that too but I didn't care, I just wanted to get out of there. When I had gone far enough I let my wings fold out behind me and launched myself into the air. If there were humans looking in my direction they would only see a blur shooting up.

It felt great to fly through the sky and I could feel the anger ebbing away quickly as if the wind was blowing my it away. Esme used our mental link and told me to come down "this instant", as she put it, but I ignored her. A few more miles and she would be out of my range, only Jasper would be able to contact me then. I looked down when I reached the first clouds to see Rosalie and Esme getting in the car and speeding off in the direction of the house. I guessed I had at least five to ten minutes of undisturbed flying of which I took advantage.

When I decided to go back Jasper's voice filled my head. _Melody, come home now please. Esme and Rosalie just came home and told me what happened. Please come home and explain why you did what you did._ I sighed and started to hover in place. _I flew away because I was angry with what was happening and that I didn't get a say in any of this._ I hissed a bit harsher than I had intended it but, oh well. _I get that you didn't like it but you shouldn't have flown off like that._ Jasper said. I had to agree with him but I was still angry enough to stay away from the house a bit longer. _I'll come back in a bit but not just yet._ I told him before I slowly, really slowly, began my way back home.

**Jasper POV**

I told the others what Melody had said and I could feel Esme's relief at my words. She had been scared when Melody had flown off that the little girl wouldn't come back again. Rosalie gave Esme a quick hug before she went to sit with Emmett. 'Did you also tell her to restore our link?' Alice asked innocently. Damn… I forgot about that. 'I'm sorry Alice. I kind of maybe forgot.' I said while walking away from Alice. 'WHAT?' the pixie shrieked. She jumped at me and I could only just escape out the door. She followed me swiftly, her eyes once again shooting daggers at me. Luckily they hadn't chanced colour and I could sense she wasn't really angry with me. I send her a calming wave anyway before I contacted Melody again. _Mel, please restore your link with Alice, preferably _before_ she rips my head off._ I pleaded while once again dodging Alice. I knew she wasn't really trying to hurt me but trying to wrestle me to the ground was probably on the top of her agenda right now. _O right, sorry… I forgot._ Came Melody's short reply.

I looked at Alice cautiously and was relieved to see that she was staring in the distance without seeing what was actually there. She came back quickly and smiled broadly. 'I take it you saw something nice?' I asked. 'Yep, but I'm not gonna say what. You'll know in about a few seconds anyway' Alice said. She then twirled and walked back inside to sit on one of the couches.

I was thinking about picking up the book I had been reading earlier when the back door came flying towards me. I stepped aside quickly and caught the door with one hand to save it from smashing against the wall. I looked at the door where a flustered Melody stood, her head as red as a ripe tomato. 'Melody… why did you do that to the door?' Esme asked, looking from Melody to the door and back. 'Uhm… I wanted to fly in… so I used my power to open the door… but I guess I used a bit too much power.' Melody explained while turning even redder than before.

'Melody… I know that your power is new to you but you really need to learn to control it better before you use it like this.' Esme said in lecturing way. 'Hear hear!' Emmett boomed which once again earned him a hit from Rosalie. Melody nodded to Esme but didn't move otherwise. She was feeling guilty but I had a feeling that it was more than just the door. I looked at the girl and saw that she was looking from Esme to Rosalie before letting her head hang. I was worried that something was really wrong and wanted to ask her but I didn't get the chance.

'Esme, Rosalie… I'm really sorry for my behaviour earlier and I shouldn't have flown away like that!' Melody said very fast and a bit loud. She kept her head low and I could feel the anticipation coming from her for the reply. I was tempted to tell her that Esme and Rosalie weren't angry but this was something she needed. Rosalie was the first to speak, 'We're not angry Melody, we were just worried.' My sister got up and hugged Melody tight before sitting back on Emmett's lap. Melody then looked at Esme and probably asked her something in silence because a second later Esme shook her head and hugged her youngest daughter. 'It's as Rosalie said; we were just really worried honey.'

I could see and feel Melody relax which caused me to relax as well. I always tensed up when something was wrong with Mel. 'Jasper… the door?' Emmett said with a grin on his face. I looked at the door I was still holding. I shrugged and carried it back to the doorway and held it while Carlisle put the hinges back. 'It's not really sturdy anymore so we'll need to buy a new door soon.' Carlisle said. 'No problem, I wanted to go shopping for accessories soon anyway.' Esme replied.

Edward came down then with his usual scowl on his face and the room focussed on him. 'No Emmett I didn't come down to wrestle or something.' Was the first thing Edward said which I assume was a reply to something Emmett had been thinking. 'I came down to hear about our new school. If it wasn't for her, 'he shot a glance at Melody, 'I would have heard it in either Esme's or Rosalie's thoughts but as she decided to make everyone worried I couldn't hear anything as everyone was thinking about her.' Emmett and I growled at Edward's words and I heard a hiss come from Rosalie. Edward chose to ignore us and continued down the stairs while I moved a bit closer to Melody; I just didn't trust Edward anywhere near her.

Edward sat down on the couch next to Alice and glared at Mel and me for a moment before moving on to Esme. Esme sighed and started talking. 'You are all enrolled in the local school, Frost High.' Esme explained. Before she could say anything more Emmett interrupted her. 'Frost High? Why would they call a school Frost High?' He asked at vampire speed before bursting out in laughter. 'Emmett you really are an idiot.' Alice piped in. 'Have you noticed the temperature outside? It's below zero. There is a reason why Melody is wearing a winter coat and snow boots.' Emmett stopped laughing and though for a second before muttering 'Oh… right…'.

Esme smiled at Alice and Emmett before continuing. 'Alice and Edward will enter as freshman and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett will enter in the sophomore year. As usual, Rosalie and Jasper will go by the name Hale and the others will go by the name Cullen.' We all nodded but didn't say anything. 'Melody will go to elementary school enter the second grade and I hope she will behave there.' Esme said, shooting a glance at Melody. The little girl nodded but didn't say anything; she was still feeling ashamed for what happened earlier.

'When will we start school?' Emmett asked. He was already feeling excited about going. 'You will start next week on Monday.' Esme said. 'Yes! The time to intimidate and possibly scare humans has come again!' Emmett boomed, earning him a smack from Rose and a pillow against his head which Alice had thrown. I had to admit that it might be nice this time to go to school. I didn't really have a problem with my bloodlust anymore so this time might actually fun.

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**As I said above, I would really love to know everyone's opinion about this story so please review ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	15. First day

**First of all I want to thank my reviewers, you guys are great! **

**This is my Christmas present for all my loyal readers so I hope you like it ^_^**

**~Still don't own anything but Melody and Zackary~ **

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**Jasper POV**

Just a few more hours and our first day of school would begin. I sighed and closed my eyes thinking about the problems that had come to life yesterday because of Alice. She had made such a fuss about what we should wear that we had all ended up in our closet for a large part of the day. Alice ordered us to find a suitable outfit and then present it to her. Once we had found the right one we could go but of course, it wasn't that simple.

Edward was the first to finish and he left the house quickly afterwards. I couldn't blame him though, being in the same house as fashion tornado Alice wasn't something any of us would do for fun. Rosalie was done a few seconds after Edward and of course her outfit was perfect. She didn't leave though and decided to help Emmett and me. She quickly found a good outfit for Emmett who thanked Rose with a quick kiss before literally jumping out of his bedroom window and sprinting off into the woods. Rose then came to me and with her help my outfit for the next day was found in no time. Alice came in for a second to approve before running off to Melody's room again.

I was tempted to go for a run or a quick hunt as well but I couldn't just leave Melody to fend for herself. I went up to her room with Rose close behind me and found Alice and Melody in front of the mirror. Melody was wearing a dark green dress and was admiring herself with a broad smile on her face. 'Uhm… Alice… don't you think that a dress will be a bit too cold for her?' I asked. Alice turned around long enough to stick her tongue out at me before looking back at Melody's reflection. 'This isn't for tomorrow; this is a dress we bought yesterday when we went shopping.' Alice said in a way that it should have been obvious.

'What about Melody's school outfit?' I asked. I looked around the room to see if there was an outfit lying somewhere. 'We haven't found the perfect outfit yet.' Rosalie said. 'Here is the shirt you wanted Alice.' My twin sister pushed past me and handed Alice a midnight blue shirt. She then turned to me and literally pushed me out of the room. 'I'm sorry Jasper but this is a girl thing.' She said before closing the door in my face and locking me out for the rest of the day.

_Jasper! I can't sleep anymore! Can I come in?_ Melody asked which pulled my out of my memories of the day before. _Sure, it's not like I'm asleep_ I told Mel and a second later the little girl came running into my room. She jumped on my bed face down and stayed that way while I went to close the door which she had left open. 'Do you want to tell me why you can't sleep at five o'clock in the morning?' I asked. Melody didn't say anything and stayed face down on the bed. I sighed and sat down next to her. 'Mel, you can't just lie there for the rest of the day you know.' I said. Melody pushed herself up and crawled on my lap before replying. 'I'm just worried about today… What if they don't like me? What if they think I'm weird?' she asked before burying her face in my chest.

'Why wouldn't they like you? You're a great girl who has managed to warm the hearts of vampires so I think you'll be able to handle a couple of human children.' I told her. Melody looked up at me and I could see a small smile appear on her face. 'Just try to do what the others do.' I said. The small girl nodded and snuggled closer. I could feel her relax and a few seconds later her breathing slowed which told me she was asleep.

I was about to wake Melody two hours later when Alice came bouncing into my room with a smile. 'Wake up Mel! It's time to get ready for school!' the pixie squeaked. She started bouncing in place while melody woke up. The little girl rubbed her eyes and then started following Alice with her eyes. 'She's awake Alice so I think you can stop bouncing now.' I said dryly. Alice stuck her tongue out at me before grabbing Melody and lifting her from my lap. 'Come on, we have to get ready!' and with that she left the room carrying a still very sleepy Melody.

I got dressed in the outfit Alice had approved yesterday and made my way downstairs to find Rosalie, Emmett and Edward on the couch watching television. Emmett grinned at me as I sat down and I could sense he was amused. 'What?' I asked. 'Nothing, just that I'm really looking forward to our first day… and that you look just great.' He said while laughing. I sighed but couldn't help but agree; Alice always went overboard with our clothing on a first day of school.

This time she had made it so that we all had the same colour somewhere in our outfit which was midnight blue. Rosalie had half of her hair in a ponytail which was tight back with a midnight blue ribbon. Emmett and Edward had both had shirts in the colour and I had a midnight blue long sleeve vest. I had wanted to keep the zipper of the vest closed but Alice had all but ordered me to keep it open. Alice herself was wearing a blouse in the matching colour and even Melody, who wasn't even going to the same school, was wearing midnight blue shoes and a ribbon in her hair in the same colour.

Melody ate her breakfast and Esme packed her a lunch while we all waited until it would be time to go. We would all be going in Edward's Volvo as that was the only car big enough for all of us to fit in. It had taken Esme the better part of a day to make him agree to take Melody too but in the end it all worked out.

We all stepped into the car, Emmett in the front seat next to Edward and Melody on my lap, and were off to school a little over eight in the morning. Alice and Rosalie were already speculating about how many boys would look at them and how many would fall for them and Emmett was excited. Edward was grumpy but that wasn't anything new; he didn't really like going to school over and over again.

When we came to the elementary school Edward told me I had five minutes before he would drive away. I sighed and got out of the car carrying Melody who wouldn't let go. I carried her to the small reception and asked the middle aged lady behind the counter where we had to go. She pointed the classroom out on a map of the school. I thanked her before heading to the classroom. The teacher greeted us with a friendly smile and came to us to introduce herself. 'Hi, I'm Monica Fletcher.' The teacher said. 'Jasper Hale.' I said with a small nod of my head as a sign of respect. 'And this is my adopted sister Melody Cullen.' I explained when Melody remained silent.

'Ah yes, welcome Melody.' Miss Fletcher said but Melody chose to ignore her. 'She's just a little nervous for today.' I explained. _Mel, stop acting like this and just accept that you're going to school from now on._ I told the girl sternly. _Fine but I still don't like it. Did you see what kind of things they have hanging in this room? It's all for children! I can read and write in three different languages for crying out loud!_ Melody replied before letting go of me and jumping down. 'Hi there, can you tell me your name?' Miss Fletcher asked Melody. 'Like Jasper just said, I'm Melody Cullen.' Melody said. Miss Fletcher was taken aback by the way Melody was talking, as it wasn't the way a normal six year old girl would talk, but she recovered quickly. 'Well Melody, say goodbye to your big brother and then we will start the class.' She said with her smile once again in place. 'Bye Jasper.' Melody said. 'Bye Mel, have fun today.' I said, _and behave!_ I added mentally. Melody scowled at me before turning around and following Miss Fletcher to her seat.

I went back to the car, which was thankfully still there, and got in. We arrived at the high school a few minutes later and we all walked into the reception room. A man behind the counter looked up and his mouth fell open. I rolled my eyes at the standard reaction humans had when entered a room. Rosalie walked forward and leaned on the counter, looking the man straight in his eyes. I could feel the lust coming from the man increase by the second and I wasn't sure how much longer he would last. 'Hi there, my name is Rosalie Hale and this is my twin Jasper,' Rosalie motioned to me, 'and these are Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen.' Rosalie introduced us. The man just nodded but didn't move his eyes from Rosalie.

'Sir, if you could just give us our schedules so we can go to class.' Alice said, moving to stand next to Rosalie. This had the amusing effect of the man looking from Alice to Rosalie and back again as if he was watching a tennis match. The first one to be bored by this was Emmett who went to stand in between Alice and Rosalie and glared at the man. The man immediately felt scared and backed away from the counter. 'Right, schedules.' He muttered before opening a cabinet and grabbing a few files. Emmett, Rosalie and Alice were really amused by what had happened but Edward didn't share this opinion. 'Would you guys stop now before Derek here gets a heart attack?' He growled at vampire speed so that Derek wouldn't hear. Leave it to Edward to pick up his name in the guys thoughts. He was exaggerating about the whole heart attack thing though. Derek wasn't scared, just intimidated.

Derek gave us our schedules soon after this and we all filed out of the office. Alice and Edward had history first, Rosalie had English and Emmett and I had Trig. As usual we were required to introduce ourselves at the beginning of every class and as usual the girls were emitting lust and the guys were jealous of the attention we got. The classes I had with Rosalie were different though, then everyone was emitting lust to either Rosalie or me. The lessons were as boring as expected but that's what you get when you've gone to school over and over in the past decades. Plus side this time, I wasn't uncomfortable being near humans as I had managed to get rid of my bloodlust.

When lunch had arrived we all went to the cafeteria and bought our normal props so that we didn't stand out. Alice was talking animatedly about the P.E. lesson she was in when Melody's voice suddenly filled my head. _Jasper! Please come at get me… I can't stand pretending to like this because I really don't…_ she whined. _Would you be so kind to tell me why it's so horrible?_ I asked. _Well, all we have done so far is make a drawing of our favourite animal and if we knew _how_ to write our name we could write it… There's nothing I can learn here!_ She wailed. _Melody, we all know you are too far ahead but this isn't only about the lessons._ I tried to explain but Melody interrupted me. _Then why am I here? I don't get it… _I could feel her annoyance through our link and sent a calming wave before continuing with my explanation. _Esme and Carlisle thought it was a good idea for you to spend some time with others of your age. They didn't tell you knowing that you would deny this so they kind of forced you to go to school._

Melody stayed quiet after for a moment after this and I had started picking at the brownie on my plate when she contacted me again. _I'm not saying I agree with you guys but I must admit that I've met this girl who I might become friends with!_ She said, ending quite enthusiastic. _Okay, I'll stay but I still don't like it!_ She said but I could tell that she didn't really mean it. I could sense that she enjoyed being there at least a little bit.

**Melody POV**

I told Jasper I still didn't like it here but I had to admit, it wasn't that bad. It was true that the assignments we were getting were way below my level which meant I had been bored most of the morning. The positive side of this day was that my seat was next to a nice girl who was actually smarter than the others in the class. She was intellectually gifted which meant her level was higher than the others, though it wasn't nearly as high as my level. She had told me her name was Cassie and that she had moved here a month before us so she was also fairly new to this town.

It was lunchtime now and we were sitting in groups of four to eat our lunch. It was really quite nice to eat with others instead of alone like I normally do. 'You have a cupcake in your lunchbox?' one of the girls, Naomi if I remembered correctly, asked. 'Yes, my mom likes to give me something sweet to school, but I can share it if you guys want some.' I said. They all nodded so I split the cupcake in four and handed each of the girls a piece. 'There are strawberries in it.' Cassie exclaimed happily. 'This cupcake is great.' Naomi agreed, taking another bite.

'I see you've already made some friends.' Miss Fletcher said as she came over to our table. I rolled my eyes at her childish voice before answering her with a fake smile. 'Why yes Miss Fletcher I have.' I said in the same childish tone she had used herself. She was taken aback by my reply for a few seconds but recovered soon enough. 'Well, I hope you're all almost finished because lunch is almost over.' She said to all of us before heading to the next group.

After lunch we all had to stay seated in groups of four and Miss Fletcher explained to us we had to make a drawing for our parents. We all got three sheets of white paper, in case we made a mistake and had to start over on a new sheet, and some normal and coloured pencils. The others of my group grabbed the coloured pencils but I went for a normal grey pencil. Cassie was busy drawing a colourful house and garden that weren't on scale at all. I think Naomi was making a family portrait, I couldn't be sure as the figures on the paper didn't look anything like humans but she did write "momma" below one of them, and Lucy was making circles which she made into suns or flowers. I turned back to my own paper and started sketching, focussing on the two people who were my parents for all intents and purposes.

'Pencils down children!' Miss Fletcher called an hour and a half later. I snapped out of my trance and looked down at my drawing which I had finished about thirty minutes ago. It was a portrait of Carlisle and Esme with me in the middle. Esme was holding me on her left arm and Carlisle had his arm around both of us; we looked like a real little family. I quickly made a mental note to make a portrait of my other family members too. Miss Fletcher was walking past all the tables and commented on the different pictures that the others had drawn. She stopped at my table and looked at my drawing. I had to hold in my laughter when I saw her face. Her eyes seemed to be growing larger by the second and her mouth was hanging open.

'Miss Fletcher?' Cassie asked carefully. Miss Fletcher snapped out of her trance and shook her head before looking at Cassie and smiling. 'I'm alright dear, I was just a little shocked by what Melody had drawn.' Miss Fletcher explained. She then turned back to my drawing. 'Melody… did you do all this in one and a half hour?' she asked. 'No, I did it in one hour and spend the last half hour staring out the window.' I said casually. This shocked my teacher again and I could see she was having a hard time believing I had made this. 'You… you could be a professional artist… you have real talent… this is so lifelike.' Miss Fletcher whispered.

She wanted to say more but she had to continue with the next lesson. She quickly looked at the drawings of Lucy, Naomi and Cassie before she went to stand in the front of the classroom again. 'Please put your drawings away for now and pull out you notebook so we can begin with the writing lesson.' I carefully rolled up my drawing and put it in my bag before pulling out my notebook and pen.

We spend the rest of the afternoon writing down the alphabet and our name if we were able to. However I had other plans. When the school bell rang to signal the end of the day I had written a foot long essay about my first day at school though I didn't show that to the teacher. I showed her the work we had to do and she praised me for my already neat writing. No homework was given as we were only in second grade.

Miss Fletcher walked with us outside to wait until our parents would come to pick us up. I stood at the back of the class and told Jasper we were done for the day. He informed me that they were on their way to the car so it would be only a few minutes of waiting for them. I looked up at the sky, already thinking about flying this afternoon, when I saw a sandy coloured large feather fall down towards me. I grabbed it automatically when it was within my reach and looked at it in wonder. It was bigger than my feathers and had a different colour but it still felt very familiar. I held the feather close before putting it in my bag. I didn't know what it meant but I was somehow certain that no one should see it, at least for now.

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**I hope you all liked it :) It would mean the world to me if all of you would review (maybe as a small Christmas present to me?)**

**Happy Christmas everyone! **

**~Marieke~**


	16. Christmas

**Thanks again for reviewing!**

**I want to wish all my lovely readers/reviewers a great and happy new year! **

**Here is the last chapter of 2010 :) It's extra long so I hope you like it :)**

**~I still don't own the characters that were created by Stephanie Meyer~**

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**Carlisle POV**

My last shift before Christmas. Normally I would work on Christmas day as we don't really celebrate the holiday but we had celebrated it ever since Melody arrived. We couldn't have a large family dinner as we don't eat but we would still make it a nice family day. I looked down at the chart in my hand and sighed; another human I had to tell that he wouldn't have long to live anymore. 'Good afternoon mister Owen.' I said with a smile as I entered the room. 'Ah, good afternoon doctor. I sure hope you have some good news for me.' Mister Owen said with a small smile.

I came to stand at the foot of the bed and looked at the chart one more time before addressing Mister Owen. 'Mister Owen I have your test results and I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but I'm afraid there is nothing we can do anymore. The chemo doesn't seem to have any effect on the cancer.' I told Mister Owen gravely. Mister Owen's face fell and I could see the tears forming in his eyes. He took a deep breath before asking me the question everyone does after hearing this kind of news. 'How long do I have left doctor?' he asked, one tear falling from his right eye. 'A year at the most.' I told him gravely.

Mister Owen was quiet for a moment before nodding in defeat. 'Thank you doctor for all you have done.' I nodded solemnly before adding some notes to the chart, putting it in the basket at the foot of the bed and leaving the room. I went back to the locker room and put my stethoscope and doctors coat in my locker and grabbed my coat to go. I walked back to the reception desk and wished everyone a happy Christmas and good new year.

There had been no clouds all day but luckily it had turned dark so I had no trouble. I got home about ten minutes later and found only Esme and Melody were home. 'The others are out hunting?' I asked my wife after giving her a kiss. 'Yes, I send them all out as I didn't want them leaving at Christmas. I'm going to send them tomorrow as well just to be sure.' She explained. I nodded and walked over to Melody who was busy drawing another pencil portrait. She had already made two others, one at school and one at home but none of us were allowed to see them.

She was so busy with her drawing that she didn't notice I was standing behind her until I cleared my throat softly. The little girl swiftly covered her drawing before looking up and smiling her angelic smile. 'Hi daddy, welcome home.' She said as she got up to give me a hug. Ever since she had started school she had been calling me dad and Esme mom which made us both very happy. She let go of me quickly and sat back down to continue her drawing though she made sure that I couldn't see past her onto the sheet. 'I'm hoping to finish this soon so I can start on the next one. I want to have them all finished today so I can give them as presents for Christmas.' Melody explained without looking up. 'I'm sure everyone will be very surprised when they see what you made for them. I for one can't wait to see it.' I told my youngest daughter. I then ruffled her hair and gave her a kiss on her head before going over to Esme and sitting next to her on the couch.

**Emmett POV**

Rose and I were lying in another ruined bed. I was lying on my back, looking at the ceiling, and thinking about what Esme would say when she would find out we had yet again destroyed a bed and part of our room. Rosalie turned toward me and traced a pattern on my chest with her forefinger. 'Happy Christmas.' She purred giving me a soft kiss on my lips. I growled playfully and turned us over in a second so that I was hovering over her. 'Merry Christmas to you too.' I purred back and leaned down to kiss her.

Before I was able to though two voices shouted up in unison, 'For all that is holy stop!' I smiled at my wife in an evil way and was about to just ignore Jasper and Edward when I became really insecure in an instant. I didn't know what to do and whether what I had done was even okay. Rosalie looked at me with a confused look on her face and I did the only thing I could think of, I ran out of the room giving myself only enough time to grab some clothes from a nearby chair.

The moment I was out of the room the insecurity vanished as if it had never existed. Confusion came over me for a second before realisation hit. 'Jasper!' I growled. I set of down the stairs while trying to get dressed which made me kind of slow. When I was finally dressed and downstairs I could see Jasper and Edward standing together with a very amused look on their faces. 'You two are so dead.' I hissed through my teeth before jumping at them. I should have known it was useless though. Edward, who was the closest to me, had already read in my mind what I was going to do so he just stepped out of my reach and Jasper hit me with so much lethargy that my assault stopped midway and I collapsed on the floor. I felt like sleeping which was one of the most absurd things a vampire could think! I believe it would be right next to eating human food on a "things you don't do as a vampire" list.

I picked myself up from the floor and glared at my brothers before marching back upstairs to dress properly. Rose was already dressed when I entered the room which made me sigh, no more fun today. As sweet as my wife is she notices my disappointment and walks over to me with a sympathetic look in her eyes. 'You okay baby?' She cooed. 'Yeah… it's just our dear brothers.' I said. 'I noticed as they were yelling through the house.' She said with annoyance clear in her voice. She then looked at me in total and scowled at my clothing. 'Get dressed again Emmett so you are presentable today.' She said. I nodded and hung my head as I walked into our large closet. 'I'm going downstairs, see you in a bit.' Rose called after which I heard her leave the room and walk down the stairs.

I just grabbed the first shirt that looked like it would match with my pants and quickly put it on. I wasn't going for anything fancy as Esme had all but ordered us to go hunting again today so that we didn't have to go during Christmas.

When I came downstairs Alice and Rosalie were sitting on the couch reading fashion magazines so I left them alone to go and find my brothers. I had thought they would be together as they had been earlier but I only found Jasper who was outside playing catch with Melody. It made me forget I was angry because it was fun to watch them as it wasn't like normal catch. Melody was a good distance in the air and Jasper was throwing the ball up to her. She threw the ball back with as much force as she could muster which, together with gravity, made the ball disappear to the human eye. 'Can I join?' I asked while still following the ball with my eyes. 'Sure, no problem.' Jasper said. I whooped and ran into the forest. Normally you would play catch in the same area but with vampires and Melody it was different.

I ran until I came to a small clearing near the house and turned my head up. I could see Melody hovering in place in the sky. 'I'm good to go!' I called up. Melody gave me and Jasper the thumbs up and the game soon commenced. It began with Melody throwing the ball to either Jasper or me and us throwing it back but I got bored with that after a few minutes enough. I knew where Jasper was so I took aim and threw the ball with as much force as I could muster towards him. The ball flew straight through the forest, destroying a few trees, but it wasn't caught by Jasper. The next thing I heard was a sound I soon wished wasn't there, the crash of something destroying glass.

I went back to the house quickly and was met by a very, and I mean very, angry Esme. I looked around and found Melody had lifted Jasper, probably when she saw the ball flying towards him, and was now flying a few feet above the ground holding Jasper tight around his waist with both arms. I turned back to Esme who had started to tap her foot in annoyance. 'Emmett McCarty Cullen! Do you have any explanation as to why a baseball is now stuck in the wall of my living room while my glass window is broken?' she asked with venom in her voice.

I shrank back at the venom in her voice and swallowed loudly. This made Melody giggle but I didn't dare look at her to scowl while Esme was this angry. 'Uhm… We were playing catch… and I wanted to catch Jasper off guard… just for fun… but then Melody apparently saw it coming and lifted him out of the way… and… uhm… that is why a baseball is now stuck in the wall…' I finished in a whisper, not daring to look Esme in her eyes. To my surprise it was not Esme but Rosalie who spoke first. 'Emmett that must be the most stupid explanation you have ever given for anything.' She scoffed. 'But it's the truth.' I spluttered willing Rose to see the truth in my eyes. 'I know but it's still stupid of you to even do it let alone explain it like that.' Rose said as a small smile appeared on her face.

'Emmett Cullen!' my head snapped back to Esme, 'you will take the ball from my wall, repair the wall and place a new glass window here before the end of this day.' Esme ordered. 'It will be Christmas tomorrow and I do not want any holes anywhere do I make myself clear?' 'Yes mom.' I said and hang my head in defeat. I had been looking forward to Christmas day but now it felt suddenly as if Christmas was far away.

Alice had returned about an hour after the incident and had barely been able to hold her laughter long enough until she was out of sight. Problem of being a vampire, I could still hear her laugh. She had also been saying something about the real thing being much more fun than just seeing it in a vision. I had been tempted to go to her and let her know how much fun I could be when you annoyed me but an angry glare from Esme had stopped me.

Halfway through the day I was starting to get a bit more optimistic. I was now finished with the hole the ball had made and had picked up the glass window from the shop. The only thing I needed to do was place it and I would be done. Of course the others of my family had chosen not to help and instead laugh at my expense but I didn't really mind. I'll get them back on way or another. When I had just placed the window and had checked whether it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon Edward returned from his hunt, carrying a large Christmas tree.

The others sped past me outside to admire the tree. Esme was apparently ecstatic as she was complementing Eddie-boy about the great tree he had picked out. Eddie-boy himself growled at me for using the nickname he hated after which he stalked past me into the living room where Jasper and Melody were.

**Edward POV**

Emmett just had to call me by my most hated nickname ever. Lucky for him he had thought it instead of saying it out loud but still, damn him! He knows I hate that name! I stalked past him into the living room and placed the tree in the corner Esme was thinking about at the moment. 'Thank you dear, the tree is lovely.' Esme said.

Everyone had come into the house behind me and was now looking at the tree. I could hear from Rosalie and Emmett's thoughts that they both liked the tree but of course I could hear nothing from Jasper or the annoying bird girl. Jasper growled at me then and I presumed he had felt my hostile feelings towards the girl. I shrugged and chose to ignore him as he wouldn't do anything to me here and now.

We were all distracted a second later by a crash coming from the attic. I had to hold my laughter when I heard the thoughts that I was hearing a moment after the crash. _Damn… Esme is going to kill me!_ Alice thought before I saw what she had done in her thoughts. Esme her priced vase had fallen down and had shattered into a million pieces. 'What happened?' Esme asked me though she wasn't looking at me. 'Uhm… your priced vase has fallen… and shattered.' I explained. 'WHAT?' Esme shrieked. We were all stunted into silence by her reaction but before any of us could react she ran upstairs at vampire speed.

We all waited for the rampage we were sure would follow but I relaxed quickly. Carlisle had reached Alice before Esme could and was now trying to calm her down. I soon saw a vision in Alice her head that she would spend boxing day repairing the vase piece by piece. 'Alice is going to have to― 'repair the vase.' Jasper finished for me. I spun around and glared at my least favourite brother. That _girl_ had probably seen the vision too and told Jasper silently. Jasper had once been a good friend and brother but that girl had ruined everything. 'I'm going hunting.' I said and rushed out of the house towards the forest.

That girl was driving me crazy! I was the one with the mind reading ability and now she is taking that from me! Not to mention the fact that she was still shielding Jasper day and night, even when she was asleep, which meant I couldn't hear anything from him. _Okay Edward, calm down. _I thought to myself. _It's almost Christmas and you would disappoint Esme greatly if I would stay away. I can handle one little girl, even an annoying one like that winged freak._

Emmett and Alice joined me halfway through my hunt and immediately my sister's thoughts hit me as if she were screaming in my ear. _Edward how could you just run away at Christmas?_ Alice asked anger colouring her thoughts. 'I'm not planning on missing Christmas Alice.' I told her. Emmett turned his head towards me then and smiled. 'Knew you wouldn't let us down bro!' he boomed. I could see that he was afraid of a fight with Rosalie about my behaviour for just a second before Emmett's attention was drawn to a grizzly a few miles away. He turned in the direction of the bear and sped off without a second glance at Alice or me.

I soon picked up the scent of a herd of elk and sped off with Alice close behind me. There were enough elk for the both of us so we stayed closer than we normally would. Alice kept quiet while feeding but that silence didn't last long when we were finished. I was burying my last carcass when she came to me with an annoyed look in her eyes. _She's blocked me again… I can't see anything about this year presents! I really hope this ends soon!_ she thought to herself. 'That girl giving you trouble again?' I asked smirking. 'Yes… and what are you smirking at?' Alice hissed. 'Because it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who is annoyed by that girl.' I shrugged. 'I'm not annoyed in the same way you are Edward. I love Melody but it's just annoying when she blocks part of my visions though she always has a good reason for it.' Alice explained. She then started running back towards the house.

I followed behind her and halfway to the house we came across Carlisle and Esme's scent. Apparently they had gone hunting as well. When we came to the house no one was home so I assumed Jasper, Rosalie and the girl had gone out as well. 'I'm going to start on the Christmas decorations!' Alice squeaked and she rushed upstairs to get the boxes she had been looking for when she had smashed the vase.

She came down soon enough with three large boxes in her hands which hid her completely from view. She placed the boxes on the ground, warned me not to touch anything and went back upstairs again to get the other boxes. She soon had about ten boxes downstairs, all filled with Christmas decorations. 'We're going to decorate everything but the tree as that is something we should do when everyone is here.' Alice told me. I just nodded and motioned for her to continue as it was no use arguing with her.

When we were halfway done with the decorations Emmett and Rosalie, who had apparently found Emmett while hunting, came home. Rosalie was surprised and not pleased to see me and I heard in her thoughts that she had wished I wouldn't come home in a while. I sighed at the things Rose was thinking of but otherwise ignored her as Alice had already put another load of decorations in my arms and was thinking of me putting it in the kitchen. I nodded and went to the kitchen to put the decorations up. I could hear Alice telling Rosalie and Emmett what to do before she herself sped away to put up decorations on the second floor.

Jasper and the girl came back next and Alice immediately set them to work too. She gave them the outside decorations and the instructions on how she wanted it done. The two went outside quickly and I could hear the girl fly up to place the decorations on the roof. Alice had once again gone upstairs and I was afraid to find out what she had done to each of our rooms. I couldn't see it in her thoughts either as she was blocking them from me by translating The lord of the rings into Russian.

Esme and Carlisle came back a few minutes after we were done with all the decorations except for the tree. _Came back at exactly the right time_ Carlisle thought smugly. 'Carlisle… Esme… why did you keep us waiting?' I asked innocently. If it was still possible both my parents would have turned tomato red. As it was they just shifted uncomfortable and muttered something about hunting further away than planned though I could hear the truth in their thoughts; they didn't want to be near Alice and her decorating storm.

Alice came down then and set us to work on the tree. She forbid us to use vampire speed as it would ruin the family moment which earned her glares from Emmett, Jasper and me. The star was the last thing that had to be put on and ever since that girl had arrived it had been her little job. This year was no different. Jasper handed her the star which she held carefully in her hands as if afraid she would break it. She then spread her wings and flew up slowly to place the star on the top of the tree.

She smiled at all of us, including me, when she put the star on before going down and landing on Jasper's shoulders. He looked up proudly and I did my best to not gag in front of them. 'I'm going upstairs to read.' I announced. _Will you come down in the evening?_ Esme asked me silently. I just nodded before running upstairs. I grabbed the book I had picked this morning, sat down and started reading while trying to ignore Rosalie's thoughts and the decorations now covering my room.

**Jasper POV**

Melody had finally fallen asleep at two in the morning after I had send her multiple lethargic waves. The small girl had been too excited for the next day to fall asleep as well as the decorations Alice had put in our room. I looked at the small girl who was sleeping peacefully now and decided this was a good a time as any to put the presents under the tree. I picked up the ones I bought and Melody had given me to put under the tree and went downstairs.

I wasn't the only one with the idea to put the presents under the tree now. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme had had the same idea. 'Jasper, is Melody finally sleeping?' Rosalie asked in a whisper though I could still hear her perfectly. 'Yeah, she was really tired but just didn't want to fall asleep.' Rosalie smiled at that. 'She did ask me to save her from the sleep you were sending her.' My sister mused. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

'You can put your presents here Jasper.' Esme said pointing to a spot on the right side of the tree. 'Dude, why do you have so many scrolls with you?' Emmett asked. He leaned over my shoulder to see what kind of packages I was putting under the tree and was getting more and more curious by the second. 'Those scroll packages are from Melody and no I don't know what is in them, she wouldn't tell me.' I said. Emmett let out a small "oh" before picking up one of the scrolls before I could stop him.

'Put it back Emmett.' I growled. 'I'm just trying to guess what it is but man, this is really light.' He said, balancing the scroll on one finger. I snatched the scroll from his hand and put it back under the tree before anything could happen to it. 'You'll just have to wait like the rest of us until you know what's in these.' I told him. 'I hate waiting… Rosie, don't you know what those scrolls are?' Emmett whined. 'Nope, Melody wouldn't tell anyone so I'm sorry but I can't help you dear.' Rosalie said, sounding really sincere but here emotions told me clearly that she was enjoying this. Edward came down next which was my cue to go upstairs again as Edward and I didn't really see eye to eye.

Melody woke up at eight o'clock the next morning and was instantly hyperactive. She was even more hyperactive than the previous years which was probably because she had her own presents to give this year. _I can't wait for you all to see the presents I have for you! I hope everyone will like them… _She said in my thoughts while she was bouncing up and down on her bed. _Mel, you might want to stop that before you break the bed_ I told her amused by her behaviour. She stopped bouncing, probably remembering the scolding Esme gave Rosalie and Emmett yesterday for their broken bed, and jumped to me. I caught her and hugged her tight before she bounced off again towards her wardrobe.

Normally Alice would enter at this moment and storm into the wardrobe after Melody but the little girl had insisted on picking her Christmas outfit all by herself. I was already dressed in a suitable outfit which had been chosen by Melody and I was wondering if Alice would approve. I had to admit though that Melody had good taste already when it came to clothing but was luckily way less pushy about it. Said girl came back from the wardrobe fifteen minutes later, wearing a dark green dress with small yellow details on it. The dress ended a bit below her knees and the sleeves came just past her elbows.

_Do you like it?_ She asked quietly. _I picked it out myself when I went shopping with Alice and Rosalie a few weeks back._ She told me proudly. _You look great Mel. I bet Alice couldn't have dressed you better._ I told her. Her happiness rose at my words and a large smile spread across her face. _Thank you!_ Melody squeaked. Before she could say anything more Alice came racing into the room. 'Melody you look amazing!' my pixie like sister squeaked. She lifted Melody and began twirling them both out of the room. I followed behind them and was soon joined by Emmett who was amused by Alice.

We were the last one downstairs. Emmett immediately went to the tree only to be stopped by Esme. 'Melody will have breakfast first and then we can unpack the presents.' Esme told him sternly. 'You really should know that by now Em as it has been the same ever since I joined the family.' Melody said smugly. Alice, Rosalie and I burst out laughing while Emmett was just spluttering incoherent things and opening and closing his mouth as if he was a fish. 'Emmett, close your mouth, you'll catch flies like this.' Esme said, amusement colouring her voice. Emmett snapped his mouth shut then and went to sit on the couch feeling annoyed by us. Rosalie went to sit next to him and started telling him nice things which soon made Emmett feel better. Rose really knew which buttons to push to make Emmett feel happy.

I went to the kitchen where Melody was busy eating her breakfast of bacon and eggs. Esme was already cleaning the frying pan while Carlisle was reading the newspaper. 'You almost done?' I asked Mel. She nodded and put the last bite in her mouth. Emmett had heard this and came running into the kitchen, lifted Melody from her chair and sped back to the living room. A second later the sound of a hand hitting a head could be heard which could only mean that Emmett had run into Rose her hand.

Melody giggled at this and Emmett let out a pained 'but Rosie' before Esme, Carlisle and me joined them. Edward came down too and Alice danced over to us from the bay window. 'Presents time!' Emmett boomed happily. He moved in to grab the scroll with his and Rosalie's name on it but to everyone's surprise Melody stopped him. I could tell she was using all of her strength when she grabbed Emmett's arm and I was impressed that she was able to hold him back like that. Emmett withdrew his hand then and looked at his little sister questioningly. 'I want to my presents to be opened last.' I could sense she was feeling strongly about this and projected this to the rest of my family. Understanding came from them in an instant, even from Edward, so we started with the other presents.

When you live as long as we do it gets hard to buy new things for each other but we succeeded every year. Alice had given me new clothing, which wasn't really a surprise. I had to go to the garage for my next present. Emmett had found and old motorbike from the early sixties and Rosalie had fixed it up so that it looked like new. Emmett told me he had wanted to wrap the thing and put in under the tree but that Esme had stopped this plan before he had even said it. Esme and Carlisle had found an original documentation about the civil war with all the strategies in it.

Soon only six presents were left. Melody's presents to us and a present from me to her. Melody insisted to open the present to her first. She opened it slowly and was amazed by what was inside it. It was a rosewood, slim box with a small picture of a brown bird on the lid. Her face broke into a large smile and before any of us could say anything she rushed upstairs at stop speed only to come down again a second later. Emmett and Alice were curious to what she had done but Melody didn't tell them. She just went to stand with us again but didn't show what she had done upstairs. I knew though.

After her first day of school she had come to me with a sandy coloured feather that had the same structure as her feathers have. She told me then that she had caught it from the sky as it came floating down to her and that it had a familiar feeling to it. She just didn't know how to keep the feather so that it wouldn't damage. We had found a large envelope for it at that moment but I had been looking for a good box to keep the feather in ever since. Melody had however made me promise to keep the feather a secret to the others. She had found out how to block only some of Alice her visions by using her shield so she had done the same for me. Now Alice couldn't see things about Mel and me which we didn't want her to see.

Melody was now holding the rosewood box close and I knew that the feather was safely inside it. 'Can I please open my scroll now?' Emmett asked impatiently. 'It's _our_ scroll Emmett.' Rosalie said, emphasizing the our part. 'Yes you can open it now Emmett.' Melody said. I took the scroll with my name on it and opened it. My breath caught in my throat at what I saw. It was a pencil drawing of Melody and me. I was holding the little girl on my right arm and had my left arm around her waist to hold her better. Melody's curly long hair was hanging loose around her head and over her wings and she was smiling at me while I was smiling back at her. The thing that shocked me the most was the fact that the drawing was incredibly detailed. Every feather of Melody's wings looked real and she had even drawn some of the scars that were visible on my neck and face though they were so light that a human wouldn't see them when they would look at the drawing.

I looked around at my family members and saw that they too were too shocked for words. 'Uhm… do you like it?' Melody asked in a small voice. I turned to her and only now noticed she was feeling increasingly anxious because we didn't say anything. 'I… It… It's beautiful honey.' Esme stuttered. She gave the drawing she had been holding to Carlisle and hugged her daughter as tight as she dared before giving her a kiss on her forehead. The others soon followed by thanking her and even Edward said that he thought it was amazing and thanked her for it. I was the last to thank her. I scooped her up in a hug and held her tight while I let all of my pride and love flow from me to her. I could feel her getting overwhelmed by it so I stopped the flow of emotions again.

'Let's put them all on the table so we can see what she made for all of us.' Carlisle suggested. We all agreed and soon there were five pencil drawings on the table. I looked at all of them in turn and was amazed about how well she knew us all and how she had made the drawings look so real. The drawing of Carlisle and Esme was one of a little family. Esme was holding Melody with two arms on her left side while Carlisle had his right arm around his wife and youngest daughter and his left arm on Melody's left shoulder.

Emmett's and Rosalie's picture was filled with love and care. It was a drawing of Emmett sitting on the windowsill of the bay window while Rosalie sat in between his legs. Emmett had his arms around Rosalie's waist and his left cheek was leaning on Rosalie's head. Rosalie had her head turned to the right and they were both smiling lovingly at something in the living room.

Alice her picture was of her with lots of shopping bags around her. She had a happy glint in her eyes like she always had after going shopping. Melody had even captured Edward perfectly on paper. Edward was sitting at his piano, playing with his eyes closed. You could see in the picture that he was going with the music, forgetting everything around him. Esme and Rosalie both sniffed and if it were possible I know that they would have been crying. Carlisle and Emmett were feeling pride towards Melody and Alice was just in awe of what lay before her. I looked at Melody who I had balanced on my right arm and smiled at her. 'You gave us the best Christmas present ever little angel.' I said. Her eyes began to shine and she hugged me tight. 'Merry Christmas.' I whispered softly.

**Unknown POV**

It had been almost six years since those two traitors had run away with the little girl and she was still not within our grasp. Damn the rules that state she has to come of her own free will! And damn those vampires who are all goody goody! Every other vampire would have tried to killed her which would make her only too happy to come back to us again. Now I had to be patient… she had to come back… the prophecy said so but the sooner she came back the better right?

'Master.' A soft voice said. I looked up to see one of my subordinates kneeling in front of me. 'Speak!' I ordered him. 'I have given her the feather as you told me and she has kept it with her. The only one she has told anything about this is the one who found her almost six years ago.' I nodded and dismissed my subordinate with a wave of my hand.

So she did keep the feather, this was good news. It meant that she hasn't lost all sense of who she really is which may give us an opportunity to get her back. Luckily the prophecy would not come true for some time which meant that we had enough time to make a plan. She will need to me monitored though but that wasn't really hard to do. From what I've been told she was developing normally even though she wasn't among her own kind. I just didn't know what the best option was, let her stay there until she is fully developed or make sure she gets here as soon as possible.

I whistled softly and another one of my subordinates appeared in an instant. 'Yes master.' She said. 'I want to know whether you've seen anything regarding the runaway child.' I said. 'Yes master. I have seen that she will not develop as well when we bring her here. She will be more powerful when she stays with the vampires… however disgusting that idea is to all of us.' The seer said, releasing a hiss at the end. 'Very well, you may leave now.' I told the woman. She bowed and swiftly backed out of the room. I mused on what I've been told and, however annoying it might be, the seer had never been wrong. The girl would stay with the vampires until she is completely develop, then we would make our move.

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**Hope you liked it! Please review ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	17. That time

**Thank you all for the reviews! ^_^ It really means a lot to me to know what you guys think of the story :)**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope everyone will like it as well ^_^**

**~I do not own the Twilight characters only the ones that I created myself~**

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**Jasper POV**

Was it possible for a vampire to get a headache? If not I would have to ask Carlisle to see if I was really a vampire or not because a headache was definitely starting. Anger and annoyance hit me once again which was for me a cue to get the hell out of there. I jumped off the couch and dashed outside into the forest, anxious to get away. I soon came across the scents of my two brothers and decided to follow it.

I found them sitting on a few rocks in the middle of the forest. I sat down next to Emmett who gave me a knowing clap on my shoulder. 'Couldn't take it anymore?' Edward asked with a smirk. 'That's an understatement…' I sighed. 'Well, you're safe with us bro.' Emmett boomed. 'You guys may be safe but I'm not. I ran here on instinct but I forgot that her emotions will follow me wherever I go.' I said in defeat. Emmett thought about this for a second before coming with a typical Emmett reply. 'At least you can't hear her now.' 'You might be right in your case but you forget my mental connection to her… I can run wherever I want but it's no use.' I said, hanging my head. 'Oh yeah… It sucks to be you then.' Emmett said. 'Ugh… I'm just going to hunt now, maybe that will distract me enough.' Emmett laughed at this but luckily Edward remained quiet and just nodded his head once. I ignored Emmett and sped off.

I still can't believe my life had been just fine yesterday and had turned into a disaster this morning. The past six years had gone by as normal as could be for a vampire family. We had a great time in Canada and Melody had started liking school more and more. She had also started saying mom and dad to Carlisle and Esme which made them both very happy and proud. The search for any signs of others like Melody was continued but without any results. Carlisle was a bit put out by this but Melody wasn't. She was very optimistic and was sure that we would find some clues at the other places where sighting had been.

After six years in Canada we had to move. Edward could tell that people were getting suspicious of Carlisle not aging and even more of me picking up Melody at school. Melody could go home by herself perfectly but the teacher wouldn't let her go without guidance from an adult. Every now and then I asked Edward to come with me to monitor the teachers' thoughts. At the end of Melody's eighth school year the teachers really did get suspicious and the same evening Carlisle told us the people had at the hospital were asking questions.

We had now been living in Scotland for a year and Esme had found some kind of castle like house to renovate and for us to live in. Of course Carlisle had once again applied for a job at the local hospital where they welcomed him with open arms. We didn't enrol in high school this time but we did all find some kind of job. Edward went to the local high school to teach music, Rosalie and Emmett had gone to work at a car shop and Alice was now an employee at a clothing store. I had found a job as a history teacher at the local junior high school where Melody was now going to.

It was now the last week of the summer vacation and I was really positive about school starting again next week only to have it all crashing down about an hour ago. At eight this morning, when I was reading a book in my room, I heard Melody wake up. She was feeling a bit cranky but was otherwise just fine. I had turned back to my book when all hell broke loose.

Melody's piercing scream sounded throughout the entire house. I let go of my book and ran to her room as fast as possible. The first thing that hit me was the smell of fresh blood and I was instantly afraid something bad had happened. I could hear and feel her in the bathroom which was fine except for the fact that Rosalie was standing in front the door. She was feeling very protective towards Melody and I knew that she wouldn't let me through. _Melody, are you okay? What happened?_ I asked Melody mentally. I was shocked by the reply I had gotten then. _Jasper, not now! Leave me alone!_

That had been her reply and after that she had remained silent towards me. I had sat on her bed for about thirty minutes while her stress, annoyance and eventually anger kept hitting me. I tried asking Rosalie what was wrong a couple of times but she refused to answer me. In the end I went downstairs to escape from Rosalie's glare and found Emmett and Edward playing a video game in the living room. I sat down with them and was about to join the game when Melody started yelling about how unfair things were. Edward and Emmett looked at each other before both of them bolted towards the door and ran into the forest. I had remained behind for about five more minutes before I couldn't take it anymore and dashed outside, following my brothers.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the ring of my cell phone. 'Jasper, where are you?' Carlisle asked. 'I just went out to hunt.' I explained, not really feeling the need to explain further. 'I think you had best come home now son…' Carlisle said. I was about to ask why when Melody's voice sounded in my head. _Jasper… please come home… I'm sorry for yelling… please…_ she was practically begging me to come home. Her emotions had changed drastically as well. The anger and annoyance was gone and instead I could feel sadness and pain. 'I'm coming back right now.' I told Carlisle quickly before hanging up and putting the phone back in my pocket. I started running towards home while telling Melody I would be right there and sending her calming waves through our link.

When I got home Rosalie and Alice were outside waiting for me. 'Jasper, before you go to Melody we have to tell you a few things.' Rosalie began. Great… warnings… this can't be good. 'Melody is not really stable at the moment so you'll have to be patient with her. We have done for her what we can but now she just wants you with her.' Alice said. I nodded and was about to ask something when Rosalie spoke. 'You might also want to hold your breath as the smell of fresh blood is in the room but I think you'll be able to handle it as you've never been tempted by Melody's blood.'

I really wanted to know what was wrong with Melody before I went to her but another wave of sadness from the girl made me run upstairs in an instant. What I really wanted to do was just run into her room without knocking but after what happened earlier I stopped outside her room. _Mel, can I come in?_ I asked quietly. I heard her sniff once before she said that I could enter even more quietly than I had asked my question. I slowly opened the door and looked inside to find Melody lying on her bed with her back to me. Her wings were hiding her from view as her right wing was pulled over her body as a blanket. I was about to ask what was wrong when pain shot through her and she pulled her knees to her chest.

I didn't hesitate then and was sitting on her bed and holding her on my lap in a second. I send a calm wave to her and waited for her pain to leave her before asking her what was wrong. What could cause her this much pain? _Mel… what's wrong? What happened… if anyone hurt you I swear that I will kill them myself._ Melody shook her head slowly. _No-one has hurt me… It's just that… Well… I'm a girl and… when a girl grows older… something happens… and… well…_ she trailed off here but I could guess where this was going. It all made sense now! The emotions, the pain and the scent of fresh blood; Melody had hit puberty.

A wave of relief spread through then. 'Jasper… you're projecting.' Melody mumbled a bit annoyed. 'Sorry.' I reigned in my power and felt Melody relax. _Thanks for being there for me Jasper_ she whispered softly. _No problem little one_ I replied.

**Rosalie POV**

When Melody called me through her link this morning I had no idea what was going on but I knew something was wrong. That feeling became only stronger when I came into her room as the smell of fresh blood hit me. I immediately stopped breathing and was glad Esme came into the room a second later. She was better with blood than me so I let her into the bathroom where Melody was. I stood guard at the door as I could already hear Jasper coming.

I didn't let him through the door and instead watched him sit on the bed, see him go downstairs and later hear him leave the house. Soon after the boys left the house Esme opened the bathroom door and lead a very annoyed looking Melody into the bedroom. 'Esme… the smell?' I asked. Esme held her hand up and used her vampire speed to clean the bed sheets before she gave me the okay to breath. I inhaled carefully and was glad that the smell had become a lot less though it was still there.

Melody lay down on her bed and immediately pulled her knees to her chest and started rocking back and forth. 'Mel… are you alright?' I asked. 'I'm fine.' Melody snapped. Wow, her temper had sure gotten worse since yesterday. I decided to just sit on the bed and wait for her to talk. It was lucky I was a vampire because this girl was sure testing my patience. She didn't speak to me normally or mentally and only got up to go to the bathroom once after Alice had brought things she would need.

Then she started whimpering Jasper's name and I did the only thing I could think of, I called Carlisle. Luck was on my side and Carlisle was in his office. I explained to him what had happened and he told me he'd call Jasper. Alice had heard what I had done and decided to wait outside with me so that we could warn Jasper beforehand. _Don't tell him everything… please…_ Melody whispered in my mind. I looked at Alice to tell her but she just nodded and I figured Melody must have told us both.

Jasper arrived soon after this and the moment we had said what we wanted he ran off to Melody. Alice sighed and walked back inside, grabbing my hand as she went. She dragged me to the couch where she had already put a pile of fashion magazines for us the dig through before all this happened. A grin spread across my face and I sat down on the couch with a magazine which had the new autumn collection in it.

It was five minutes later when Emmett and Edward came back. I jumped up and hugged Emmett tight while glaring at Edward. Edward just glared back but didn't say anything for a change. 'So you've finally come back hah.' Alice said in a teasing way from her spot on the couch. 'Yeah well, couldn't really let you handle all of this alone now could we.' Emmett said smirking. 'As if you guys would be much help.' I said sarcastically. Edward just shrugged and Emmett looked uncomfortable. I sat back on the couch with another fashion magazine and Emmett joined me. He didn't join Alice and me in reading the magazines but instead he turned on the TV and put his arm around my shoulders as he always did when we were sitting on the couch.

Jasper and Melody came downstairs about fifteen minutes later, Jasper carrying Melody bridal style, and sat down on the other couch. Melody turned further towards Jasper and a small whimper came from her when she did. The whimper was too soft for humans to hear but our vampire hearing heard it loud and clear. I could feel Emmett tense beside me as he looked at our little sister with worry clear in his eyes. Jasper was soothing Melody while Alice ran off saying something about a hot water bottle. 'Did you guys find out what's wrong with her?' Emmett asked quietly so that only I could hear him. Damn… he didn't know what was going on yet… Edward must know from Alice, Esme or my mind but my poor baby didn't know anything. He was really worried about Melody so I explained to him what was going on. 'She's in that time of the month.' I explained. Emmett looked at me questioningly for a second before understanding crept across his face. 'My baby sister is growing up.' He whispered back, pretending to remove a tear of pride from the corner of his eye.

Alice soon returned with a hot water bottle for Melody which made the girl relax a bit. She moved so that she could see the television and I could see a smile on her face when someone made a joke in the sitcom that was on. We were all relaxed and even gloomy Edward was downstairs. He didn't want to sit with us and instead chose to sit at his piano but it was better than him sulking in his room all the time.

**Unknown POV**

I had been watching the girl for over six years now and nothing strange had happened. She had grown normally and had gone to school like any other child. She had made friends and had a perfect report and when the vampires couldn't pretend to be their age anymore they moved to the wet and cloudy country known as Scotland. It was even worse here than it had been in Canada but I had no choice but to follow them as the Master had ordered me to do so.

It had been kind of fun to see the girl grow up with vampires. Somehow they managed to live with her even though she was made of flesh and blood which surprised me at first. Later I followed the guy who found her, Jasper, and the girl and saw that he fed off of animals. This explained a lot to me and made me relax a bit more as I figured they would have hurt her by now if they wanted to.

Over the past few years I had started to enjoy watching the family more than I was supposed to. They weren't like other vampires and I could really understand why the girl, Melody… I had to start calling her by the name she has… anyway, I understood why she had been so trusting when she was a baby. She would probably have felt that they weren't any harm to her. These were good vampires… no matter what the master said during my reports.

Today had been the day that Melody had hit puberty and I was really anxious as to how the vampires would react to the fresh blood. In the end I saw that I didn't have to be anxious though… Melody had reacted like any other teenager and had only wanted to talk to the one she sees as a mother. Her sisters wanted to help but the pixie one, Alice, hadn't been able to help much as she claimed she didn't remember her human life. The blond one, Rosalie, had helped in her own way and when Jasper showed up everything was fine again.

They were now all sitting in the living room watching TV or reading magazines and I couldn't help but look at the pixie called Alice. She was always full of energy and when she walked it was like a dance. She was… no! you are here to watch over Melody until she is old enough to come back to us. That's all! I focussed again on Melody who was apparently in pain. I wanted to keep my eye on her but the moment Alice got up my eyes shot back to her again. She walked into the kitchen, which was out of my sight, and walked back into the room a second later holding what looked like a hot water bottle. She gave it to Melody who put it on her abdomen and relaxed visibly.

'Everything alright here master Zackary?' A woman said behind me, almost startling me from the branch I was sitting on. 'What are you doing here seer?' I sneered at her while trying to reposition myself comfortable once again. 'I saw some disturbing things in your future and I was just wondering if they were correct.' She said airily. 'And please don't call me "seer"… my name is Serena.' She added a little agitated now. 'Whatever seer, just tell me what you saw.' I snapped. The seer huffed but answered me politely. 'It was a bit blurred, I have to admit, but I saw you with someone that wasn't of our own.' 'Like with that Theodore guy? You didn't see him clearly either so maybe I'm just going to use another vampire. You never know.' The seer shook her head. 'I don't know but I must warn you to be careful. Something is changing for you and I'm not sure what.' I shrugged it off but had to ask one thing. 'Did you tell the Master about this?' The seer shook her head again. 'I'm not sure what is going to happen as the vision is not clear. If I tell the Master now he will not like it. He wants to know exactly what is going to happen and not something vague.' I nodded thoughtfully. 'Keep me posted seer.' I said before waving my hand as a sign that she was dismissed.

The seer bowed reluctantly before spreading her wings and flying off. I turned back to the house to see that everyone was now downstairs, even that idiot mind reader. He was sitting as far away from Melody as possible and was a bit tense while the others were all looking fine. Melody would jump up and walk out of the room every now and then but always came back a few minutes later which told me she had gone to the bathroom. I was a bit frustrated that I couldn't hear anything as I was too far away from the house but if I got closer they might notice me.

I sat there in the tree and watched them for the rest of the day and wondered about what I was seeing between Melody and Jasper. Every time she stood up and walked away I could see something happening. Jasper followed her with his eyes and the moment she came back into the room her eyes found his first before looking anywhere else. When it became evening and Jasper gave Melody a kiss goodnight on her forehead I realised what I was seeing. I had never thought it possible which is why I hadn't seen it before now. The reason that Melody had trusted Jasper from the very first time they met was clear to me now. I had to report this to the Master. Luckily it was already evening and so I didn't have to wait. I had evenings off as Melody slept then and there was nothing to observe. I gave the house one last look and said a silent goodbye to Alice before spreading my wings and flying off to a place where I could teleport without any of the Cullens seeing the flames.

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**Like/dislike? Let me know!**

**~Marieke~**


	18. Gathering information

**Thank you for reviewing! **

**I have some great news! Wings of a small bird has been nominated in two categories, Most original story and Most original character, for the Hidden Star Awards! ^_^ The voting won't start just yet but I'm already very excited about just being nominated ^_^ Thanks Isabel for entering this story! :)**

**And now it's time for the next chapter! enjoy ^_^**

**~still only own the characters I created myself, the Cullens will always belong to Stephenie Meyer~**

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**Melody POV**

Getting my first period was not fun… at all! Luckily it only lasted for two days what was more than enough for me. Dad was surprised by this as he said it normally lasted a week but I couldn't care less actually. The bigger shock for my dad, and everyone else, was that it didn't happen again a month later. Dad and Jasper had instantly started looking for more information about what I might be, but I just shrugged it off as one of the many things that was different about me.

School was starting to be pretty fun now. The lessons were as boring as ever but my classmates were a lot of fun to hang out with. I had made some friends with whom I made homework together and watched movies and such.

'Miss Cullen… Miss Cullen… Miss Melody Cullen! Will you pay attention now?' I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at my Math teacher, Mister Scott. He was looking at me with a lot of annoyance clear in his eyes. 'This is your last warning Miss Cullen otherwise I will have to send you to the principal.'

I sighed and started paying attention again, or at least pretended to do so. I had already learned everything when I was younger and going to school was only for "social purposes" as Emmett had put it. Luckily today's lesson was almost over. Mister Scott had just started writing an equation on the board when the bell rang. I quickly packed my bag and went to my locker. I dumped the books I wouldn't need in the next class and grabbed my history books. 'Melody!' I looked around to see my best friend Anna walking towards me. 'How was math?' she asked when she was standing next to me. 'Boring as usual.' I sighed. 'I can't believe you're in the advance math class and you're still bored! I mean, you must be a genius!' Anna said in awe. 'I told you before; I'm no genius, just good at math.' I replied.

I closed my locker and the two of us started walking to the last class of the day which was history. Anna had been my friend since before I had started school. She was very curious by nature so when she knew that new people had moved into town she had gone to our house immediately and had introduced herself. It had been really funny to see the reactions of my family. I had luckily been out back so Anna hadn't seen my wings. Anna had kind of invited herself in and so Rosalie had contacted me and told me to hide my wings and come say hello to the human. Anna and I instantly liked each other which greatly annoyed Edward as he saw this as another threat to the family.

We arrived at the classroom to find Jasper already sitting behind his desk. He smiled up at us and told us to take a seat while we would wait for the others. There was always a five minute break between classes and Anna and I were a bit early. We sat down at our usual seats and took out our books. We were now learning about the civil war which was interesting since Jasper knew practically everything there is about that subject. The others were always in awe at the amount of knowledge Jasper had but I was the only one who knew why. 'Almost weekend!' Anna exclaimed. 'Want to go shopping this afternoon to celebrate that we have survived another week?' my friend asked innocently.

That was another thing about Anna, she was rich. Or at least her family was. She didn't flaunt with it to anyone though she did love shopping. We often went together and sometimes Alice would join us as she was what Anna called "the shopping queen". Before I could answer Anna's question said shopping queen's voice filled my head. _Melody! Can I come? Please? I really want to go shopping. _She almost begged. _Alice… you always want to go shopping…_ I said mockingly. _But I have the afternoon off! Please let me come too… please please please please―_ _FINE!_ I snapped before she could continue with her rant in my head. _Thank you! You're the best little sister ever!_ Alice said before my head was once again Alice free.

I turned to Anna who was still waiting for an answer. Not that much time had passed as Alice and I had been conversing at vampire speed. 'Sure, let's go shopping.' I told Anna. 'I knew you'd say that! We have to go and see the new collection of winter clothes.' Anna's eyes grew distant as she was thinking about everything she wanted to buy. 'Oh, can Alice come too?' I asked casually. 'She also wants to see the new collection and I'm sure she would love to come with us.' To my relieve Anna nodded. 'Sure, no problem. The more the merrier right?' I nodded but was still annoyed that Alice had invited herself to our shopping trip.

_Are you okay Mel? I can feel a lot of annoyance coming from you. _I looked at Jasper and saw a bit of concern in his eyes. _I'm fine… it's just that Alice once again invited herself to come shopping with Anna and me. _I sighed in my head and saw Jasper relax as he now knew that nothing serious had happened. Before anything else could be said, either mentally or normal, the rest of the class arrived and the lesson began.

**Emmett POV**

Another day in the shop and another day of fixing the same kind of cars. Sometimes we didn't even fix it; we would just change a tyre or something. I mean, who couldn't change a tyre nowadays? I could see that Rose was bored as well. She was twirling a wrench in her hand and was staring at the opposite wall. I sighed and looked back at the car I was supposed to be fixing. It was an old Peugeot 306. The only thing it needed was a new battery so I quickly took out the old one and put a new one in. It had decided to not use my vampire speed so that a bit more time would pass. It didn't really work though as it took only fifteen minutes to change the battery.

'Done?' Rosalie asked. I could hear the boredom dripping from only that one word. 'Yep… not much more we can do now…' I replied as I closed the bonnet of the old Peugeot with a bang. 'We could close the shop for like, oh I don't know, an hour and have some fun.' I wriggled my eyebrows suggestively at Rose and saw a small smile appear on her face. 'It's very, very temping Em but we still have a client coming in about fifteen minutes.' Rose said, effectively stopping my thoughts in their tracks. 'Oh right… I forgot about that one. Probably another old car with a flat tyre though.' I grumbled.

Rose flitted towards me then and hugged me tight. 'Just a few more hours and then we will have our fun.' She whispered in my ear. This made my thoughts go into overdrive but before I could say or do anything we heard a car outside stop and a second later the bell of the shop door rang. 'He's early.' I grumbled. Rose gave me a sympathetic look and kissed me quickly before walking into the store part of the shop. 'Welcome, what can I do for you?' I heard her say. I waited a second before hearing the usual sounds of a guy meeting Rosalie. His breath hitched, his heart rate increased and he started swallowing loudly or at least loudly for vampire ears. I peeked around the corner and saw the man straighten up as if to collect his courage. 'I have an appointment at three though I must admit I'm a bit early.' He said, looking at his watch for show. 'Ah yes, Mister McKenzie right?' Rose said as if she just remembered it. 'I'll open the garage doors. If you go around you can drive in the garage so we can take a look at the car.' Rosalie said. Mister McKenzie nodded and walked outside.

Rose came back into the garage as I was already opening the doors. We heard the car come around and I was curious as to what kind of car it was. It didn't sound like any of the old cars we had fixed in this shop so far. When the car came around the corner I saw something I would never expect in a small town like this, a B Engineering Edonis. I looked at Rose and saw she had the same reaction as I had. I was really glad that we were both vampires as we could process things a million times faster than a normal human. A human would have been gawking and maybe even drooling at this moment but we recovered in mere seconds and were looking normal and friendly again the moment Mister McKenzie drove into the garage.

He got out of his car and looked at it fondly before noticing Rose and me standing there. 'How rude of me, I didn't even introduce myself properly. I'm David McKenzie, but please, call me David.' He said. He extended his hand for me to shake which I did carefully as I didn't want to break it. 'I'm Emmett Cullen.' I said. 'Rosalie Hale.' Rose said when she shook David's hand. 'So you are part of the famous Cullen household my daughter talks about so much.' David said. 'You mean Anna is your daughter, sir?' I asked. David nodded and showed us a picture of him, Anna and a woman who was probably his wife.

'I didn't know you had such an awesome ride.' I boomed. Rosalie nodded her agreement and started walking around the car. 'What's wrong with the car David?' Rose asked as she opened the bonnet. 'Nothing really, I just wanted an overall check so that my baby is in top shape.' 'I can understand that man, this is a sweet car.' I clapped him, carefully, on his back. 'We will be done in about two hours so you can come and pick her up around five.' Rosalie said. David nodded, 'Take good care of my baby.' He said before walking out of the garage. 'Two hours Rose?' I asked. She looked away from me and I knew that if she were still human she would have blushed. 'Let's just get started.' She said before starting to work on the car.

As I had thought we were done with the car in thirty minutes and that was with the extra wash and double wax Rosalie had insisted on. Rose was just watching the car now from every angle possible. 'I should have known…' I muttered but Rosalie just shushed me. Now I have to admit that this Edonis was one of the most awesome cars I had ever seen, but looking at it for an hour and a half? Not my kind of thing. 'You can go home if you want to Em.' Rose said, probably noticing I was getting bored. 'No, that's okay. I don't mind staying.' I said. As goofy as I might be sometimes I was still a gentleman and leaving my Rosie here alone wasn't really something a gentleman would do.

Rose looked at me with a knowing look. That was the problem of being together for as long as we were, lying was near to impossible. I grinned in an awkward way, 'Can't get anything past you, can I?' Rosalie just shook her head. 'Well then… if you really don't mind… I'm off.' I walked over to Rose and gave her a short but passionate kiss. 'Thanks babe.' I whispered before heading out of the shop. I was glad the woods were close to the shop so that I didn't have to move at a human speed for that long.

I was soon running through the trees and it felt great. I whooped in joy before catching the scent of some animals close by. I made a split decision to follow the scent only to be stopped a second later by a small pixie with a big grin on her face. 'Emmett! Just the vampire I was looking for!' She squeaked happily while bouncing around me. 'Nice to see you too Alice.' I said sarcastically. 'Don't be like that.' Alice stopped bouncing and instead stood in front of me, her puppy eyes begging me to listen. I knew I was going to regret this but I caved, 'Fine… What do you want Alice?' 'You'll see.' She said mysteriously before dragging me off towards the house.

**Jasper POV**

I knew I shouldn't have trusted the slightly evil grin on Melody's face when she came to me. I shouldn't have believed her and Anna when they said they needed my help with a school project. Now I was doomed… Luckily I wasn't the only one the girls had tricked into coming. Alice had tricked Emmett to come too. 'I hate this.' Emmett grumbled only loud enough for me to hear. 'Tell me about it.' I mumbled back. 'But tell me again how Alice tricked you into coming?' I asked mockingly. Emmett grumbled something unintelligible but remained quiet.

I could feel embarrassment coming from him at what had happened and I had to agree, I felt the same. Three girls, of whom two were half our size, had managed to trick us into the most horrible thing any man could ever imagine, shopping. 'Jasper!' A bell like voice called happily. I looked up to see Melody walking towards me with two more bags in her hands. 'Found more clothes I see.' I said as Melody handed me her two bags. I was now holding about twelve bags and Emmett was holding about the same amount. We had each put about ten bags into the cars already but there just seemed to be no end to the girls shopping spree.

Melody sat down next to me and looked at Anna and Alice who were still looking for things to try on. 'You done in this shop?' Emmett asked. 'Yep, I'm kind of done with shopping for the day.' Melody said. That was the one thing that wasn't bad about shopping with Melody; she was done fairly quickly compared to Alice and now Anna who could spend a whole day shopping and not be tired. 'We're just gonna try this on okay?' Anna called from across the shop. 'Sure, take your time!' Melody called back. Anna smiled before heading into the dressing room with Alice. 'I wonder how much longer we're going to be here… this shop seems to be a paradise to those two.' Emmett sighed. Melody giggled at this which earned her a scowl from Emmett.

Alice came out of the dressing room then and walked towards us. 'Could one of you guys get something to drink for Anna? She says she's thirsty but wants to stay here to try on the clothing we just picked out.' Alice said. 'Sure, what does she want?' Melody asked. 'Just a bottle of water would be fine.' Melody nodded, 'no problem Alice. I'll be back in sec.' she said to Emmett and me before walking out of the shop. 'And there she goes.' Emmett sighed. 'Wish I could have gone to get that water…' he grumbled. I couldn't help but agree as Alice ignored Emmett and walked back to the dressing rooms.

Emmett started humming a song with his eyes closed then, probably trying to ignore the fact that he was in a clothing store. I decided to do the same when Melody began to speak to me. _Jasper… you're not going to believe this… but Zackary is here…_ she said quietly. I stood up immediately and walked towards the door. 'Yo bro! Where are you going?' Emmett called after me but I ignored him. _Mel, where are you now?_ I asked. _Near the supermarket, on the forest side._ Melody then showed me the thing she was seeing at that moment. I could see Zackary looking at her from the forest edge and he had a small smirk on his face. _I know where to find you, stay there until I get to you. He won't attack you in a public place_. I told her.

_He's going into the forest… He… oh my god!_ I could feel Melody's shock hitting me as if it were my own. _Mel, what happened?_ I asked as I started running as fast as I could in a street where humans could see me. _I'm going to follow him… he… he's like me…_ she whispered the last part and I could now feel wonderment pushing away her shock. She showed me nothing more of what she was seeing which only made me more anxious to see what was going on.

I soon came to the place near the supermarket where she had been standing. She wasn't there anymore but her scent lingered and led me into the forest where it mixed with another smell. As soon as I was out of sight for the humans I picked up speed. I knew it would be hard to catch up with Melody if she was running at full speed as she was now almost as fast as me but I had to try. I pushed myself to go as fast as possible while following Melody's scent.

I was relieved when I finally caught sight of a glimpse of her wings and it appeared she was standing still but that relief was soon replaced by concern and anger as I saw that Zackary was only a few feet away from her. 'Well well well, look who's here.' Zackary drawled as I came nearer and nearer. At Zackary's words Melody looked around. She looked at me half shocked, half happy. Zackary's smirk grew wider as a ball of fire appeared in his right hand. 'You're too late.' He whispered, and he threw the fire at Melody.

My vision turned red then and a feral snarl escaped my lips. I pushed myself to go faster, probably rivaling Edward now, and jumped. I grabbed Melody mid-jump and quickly made a protective cage around her with my arms before crashing through half a dozen trees. We hit the ground hard and I stayed still for a second, still holding Melody close. 'Mel… are you alright?' I asked concerned. I could feel that she was scared more than anything else but there was also pain. 'I'm fine… I just thought… he's like me Jasper…' she whispered.

I let her go so she could get up herself but the moment we were standing I held her close again. 'You know I could have killed you two easily.' A voice drawled behind me. I spun around fast, making sure that Melody was safely in my arms, and faced Zackary who was now leaning against one of the trees I hadn't destroyed. A growl escaped my lips before I could stop myself and I pushed Melody behind me so I could protect her better. 'Wow, I'm not here to fight.' Zackary said, holding up his hands to show he wouldn't do anything.

'You just threw a fireball at Melody and now I have to believe you don't want to fight?' I spat. Zackary just shrugged which was a big mistake. My vision became red once again and I launched myself at Zackary full force. 'Jasper no!' Melody cried but it was too late. Zackary jumped into the air just as I was about to hit him and instead I broke the tree he had been leaning against a second ago. I turned around, expecting to see him behind me but instead I was met by an empty space. Melody was still standing in the spot I had left her but instead of looking at me; she was looking at something above my head. 'Told you I didn't want to fight.' Zackary said amused from somewhere above me. My head snapped up to be met by something I hadn't expected at all. Zackary was hovering a few feet above me with large sandy brown coloured wings coming from his back to support him.

I stood there, watching in shock as the person I once thought of as a vampire was hovering above me with the same sort of wings Melody had. Zackary smirked at me and then he slowly began to change. His skin became less pale and his eyes turned from red to an emerald green. 'Let's see how good you are at dodging when you're in shock.' Zackary said smugly. I didn't register what he was implying. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. In the back of my mind a voice was screaming that I had to move away from my where I was standing but somehow my body didn't react. Zackary laughed and shot another ball of fire towards me and the only thing I could do was stare.

'NO!' I heard the bell like voice I was so used to cry out. Before I could even think to turn towards her she had grabbed me from behind and yanked me back and up. A second later the green fireball hit the spot where I had been standing, incinerating the grass entirely. I could feel the heat but we were already too far up for it to have any effect on me. 'Melody… thank you.' I whispered before focussing on Zackary who was still hovering below us. 'I couldn't let you die now could I?' Melody asked with a bit of humour in her voice but I could feel her true emotions. She was scared but was also emitting a lot of anger towards Zackary.

'You don't have to look so angry young one.' Zackary sneered. 'You attacked my best friend and you expect me to stay calm?' Melody spat, anger literally oozing from her now. 'I guess you've got a point there.' Zackary replied with an air of boredom around him. I hissed at him but he held up his hand like he wanted to say something more before anything else happened. 'I would love to see how a fight between me and you two would end but now is not the time or place. I have gathered the information I needed for now.' 'Information what information?' I asked before he could say anything else. A sly grin appeared on Zackary's face and before he said anything I knew he wasn't going to answer me. 'That's for me to know and for you to find out.' He said before snapping his fingers softly. A green flame consumed him instantly like it had done over six years ago and when the flame disappeared, Zackary was gone.

**Zackary POV**

I had wanted to tell the Master everything I had found out as soon as I came back but instead I had been told to wait as the Master had some important business to attend to first. That had been over three hours ago and I was still waiting. Luckily I had been alive long enough to have build up a lot of patience, especially when it came to waiting for the Master to say or do something. I was now waiting in one of the many gardens of the Master's castle. This one was on the east side and was almost always used by the women to teleport to and from as they thought this was the most beautiful garden.

One thing I hadn't thought of was that the seer would also think that way. A few minutes after I came into the garden and sat down the seer had ambushed me. I had grunted a greeting to her but had otherwise ignored her but she didn't seem to mind. Right now she was drowning on and on about how I was making the wrong decisions. How both the girl and _that_ vampire would have died if it hadn't been for the fast reflexes of the girl. What annoyed me even more was that she ended every sentence with the fact that she didn't mean any disrespect towards me. 'Yes seer I know, I was wrong. Now could you please leave me alone?' I said a bit harsher than I intended but I didn't really care at the moment.

'I'm sorry master Zackary.' The seer said with a slide bow of her head. 'And please, call me Serena. 'I know your name but I also know you've been annoying me ever since I got this assignment so you will stay seer to me until the annoyance is gone.' I said. The seer looked shocked at my words and I couldn't help but feel smug about what I had accomplished. 'Well then, I will leave you to your thoughts master Zackary.' She said a bit stiff before bowing slightly and flying off. I watched her go and was relieved I was alone again when the Master's voice sounded in my head. _Zackary, please come to my room_. He ordered. _I'll be right there._ I replied.

I shot off towards the Master's room at full speed so that I would know what he had to say quicker which also meant I could go back to watch over the Cullens quicker. The guards at the doors let me in without asking anything, one of the many positive sides of having a high rank, and closed the doors behind me. 'Zackary, welcome.' The Master said. I bowed to the Master who was sitting on his throne. 'Master, I have information about the girl.' I said. 'Tell me Zackary, what have you learned?' the Master asked while leaning a bit forward in interest. I told him everything that had happened since the last time I came to report. When I came to what happened today I could see the Master's expression change from interest to horror and back to interest again.

'I must say that the information you have collected, especially today, is quite valuable. I do not however agree with your methods.' I cringed back as the Master hissed the last few words at me. 'You will continue your observations but will refrain from harming the girl or her vampire friends. Is that clear Zackary?' The Master asked. 'Yes Master, it will be done as you wish.' I said. The Master made a motion with his hand that clearly meant I was dismissed so I bowed one last time and left the room.

The guards outside the doors bowed to me but I didn't pay any attention to them as I made my way to the northern garden. This was the garden only the elite could teleport to and from and no one else could enter it. It was also the only garden with guards standing at attention in front of the entrance. I walked pasted them, not even hearing their greetings, and teleported myself back to the forest near the Cullen home.

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**Hope you all liked it :) Just click on "review" and let me know!**

**~Marieke~**


	19. Myths

**A whole chapter from Jasper POV with a bit of Zackary at the end, enjoy! ^_^**

**~The characters from the twilight books are still not mine~**

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**Jasper POV**

Anger, embarrassment but above all else fear. Those were the emotions that I could feel coming from Melody and there was nothing I could do for her. It had now been over a week since we found out about Zackary being like Melody and she had been in fear ever since. We had gone home immediately after Zackary had vanished and I had thought Melody would want to talk about what had happened but I had never been more wrong. Melody had gone directly to her room, saying she wished to be left alone, and had stayed there ever since. She only came down to eat but never said anything to anyone.

Esme and Rosalie had tried to get Melody to talk every time she came downstairs but hadn't succeeded so far. I had tried to talk to her through our link but she had just ignored me as well as my attempts to calm her. She had also cut the links with Rosalie, Esme and Alice which meant Alice once again had a blind spot in her visions. Anna had come to see her everyday but that didn't help either. The only reason why Melody opened her door a bit was to accept the homework Anna would bring but no one could enter.

It was now early morning though it was still dark outside and every now and then Melody's fear would increase rapidly and then subside again as her dreams continued. I wished that one night she would let her guard down and I would be able to see her dreams through our link, to see what she was so afraid of, but I had no such luck. Her guard stayed up all the time which irritated me to no end as I couldn't do anything for her. What wasn't helping either was that almost everyone was worried which only added to my own worry. If I was still human I would probably we biting my nails all the time.

Another problem was that I didn't want to leave Melody which meant I had not hunted in over a week. I had only taken enough time to explain to the others what had happened before I went to sit outside Melody's room. I never moved from my spot hoping that she would say something in her sleep about what was bothering her so much. I hadn't had much luck with this so far as she rarely said anything. The moments she did say something it was either unintelligible or just a scream after which she would wake up.

'Jasper… Jasper honey you have to hunt.' Esme whispered softly. I looked up in surprise as I hadn't heard her come up but looked down again just as quickly. 'I'm fine.' I muttered. Esme sat down next to me and I could feel her concern for Melody but also for me. 'I will stay and watch over Melody for you while you hunt. You're no good to her if you become too weak to stand properly.' Esme said quietly. I wanted to deny what she was saying but I knew she was right. 'Will you promise to stay here until I come back?' I asked. I looked at her to see what her reaction would be. 'I promise.' Esme said, looking at me with love and concern clear in her eyes and I could feel the same emotions from her.

I got up reluctantly and went outside where I was met by a dark, cloudy sky which was starting to get lighter in the east. I started running and even though I could smell the trail left by my siblings who had left earlier tonight but I decided to ignore it. Normally I would love the feeling of speed and then the thrill of hunting but not today. I quickly picked up the scent a few small animals, rabbits, and followed their scent easily. The rabbits tasted… well… horrible. I normally went for larger prey, preferably carnivores, so I had never had small rodents like these and I quickly made a mental note to never hunt them again. When the burn in my throat was as far gone as it would ever be I raced back home. I had been gone for about thirty minutes but it felt longer. I could feel no change in Melody's emotions which meant that things hadn't gotten any worse.

Esme was sitting on the floor next to Melody's door like she had promised. She stood up and looked at me and I could feel concern and sadness coming from her together with a tiny bit of hope. Wait… hope? Without saying anything to her I concentrated on her emotions again. Yes… the hope was definitely there… but why? Up until today she had been feeling only concern and sadness as Melody sank further and further away into what could only be described as a depression. 'Esme… why are you feeling hope?' I asked slowly, not daring to have hope myself. 'She spoke Jasper… in her sleep…' Esme whispered as her hope increased.

'What did she say?' I asked. I was irritated that I hadn't been there to hear it myself but that she spoke was at least something. 'She said your name… and that she was sorry…' Esme trailed off then. 'Sorry about what Esme?' I probed. 'About killing you…' My mother whispered barely loud enough for me to hear. I was shocked at what Esme had said but I also understood better what was making Melody act this way. 'Thank you Esme.' I said, sending her my gratitude. She nodded and gave me a quick hug before heading downstairs. A second later I heard her enter Carlisle's office but I ignored the rest. I focused on Melody again but her emotions were the same as before.

I hesitated whether I should knock and ask Melody to open the door but in the back of my mind I knew she wouldn't. The door was locked as always but I was done waiting, she was afraid of hurting me and I wanted to know why. I kicked the door in making Melody jump a foot in the air. She turned around to face me with tear filled eyes before running to the corner of the room which was the furthest away from me. I put the door against the wall as I couldn't really leave it in the middle of the room and slowly walked towards her. With every step I took she would cringe further into the wall and her fear would grow. She made herself smaller and smaller until she couldn't sink to the ground further. When I stood right in front of her she did the last thing she could think of to protect herself which was pull her wings around herself, creating a feathery wall. It hurt me to see her like this but I knew she wasn't afraid of me but afraid she would hurt me.

'Melody… please… don't be like this.' I whispered. I sat down next to her but she didn't move an inch. 'Please tell me what's wrong… we're all worried about you.' I continued, hoping she would give me some kind of reaction. I didn't expect what happened next though. Melody threw her wings out fast, hitting me so hard that she literally forced me through the wall, into her bathroom. She then spun around to face me, tears streaming down her face. 'You have no idea what I've been through ever since we saw Zackary the other day!' she screamed at me. 'Didn't you notice that day that he is just like me? And didn't you see what he did? He's evil!' she shrieked the last part so hard that I had to cover my ears.

'Which means… which means…' she began to calm down a bit on her own now, 'I'm evil too.' She whispered before sinking to the floor and breaking down in sobs. I was next to her in a second, holding her and rocking her backwards and forwards. 'Why would you be evil? You don't have an evil bone in your body Mel and you know it.' I said, sending her waves of confidence and love. I kept rocking her until I could feel her calm down enough to stop the tears from falling down. 'I'm sorry Jasper…' she whispered into my chest. 'Don't be, I understand how you feel more than you know.' I told her. 'Because of your past?' she asked, looking up at me questioningly. I nodded and I could feel understanding coming from her.

I didn't have to tell her anything more as I had explained my past to her when she was only four years old. Her eyesight had been good enough to clearly see all my scars but instead of being afraid she had been fascinated by them. I was really reluctant to tell her about my past as it would probably scare her away from me but as she insisted I had caved and told her about my past in the Southern vampire wars. Melody had listened without interrupting me until I was done. The moment I said the last word of my story she had hugged me tight and send me feelings of comfort and love. I had never expected this. When I had told my family about my past I had felt disgust from them all and even Alice, who had been my closest sibling until I found Melody, had felt a level of disgust when I told her my story. Melody had accepted my story and hasn't judged me for which I was grateful.

'Why did you come bursting into my room all of a sudden?' Melody asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. 'Because you spoke in your sleep… Esme heard you while I was out hunting earlier.' I could feel her embarrassment. 'You never came in before now… you let me be just like I asked.' Melody mumbled. I held her a bit tighter before telling her what Esme had told me before. 'What I don't understand is why you would think you had killed me?' I asked, sending her my curiosity. 'Zackary… he used fire to attack us… and Theodore before us…' she stopped talking and took a few deep breaths before continuing, 'I'm just really scared that I might set someone on fire… what if that someone was you? I wouldn't know what to do.' She sobbed, her tears once again falling freely from her eyes.

I finally fully understood where all her pain and fear had been coming from and the truth was that I couldn't even tell her that it wasn't a reality. 'Mel, I understand why you're afraid but just because Zackary used his powers to hurt others doesn't mean you will be the same. I know you're scared of the fire power but we will all do our best to prevent anything really bad from happening.' I promised. Melody sniffed a couple of times before pulling back a bit and showing me a watery smile. 'Really...?' she asked timidly. 'Yes really. We will first go and talk to Carlisle about this, maybe he has some ideas.' Melody nodded at this and slowly got up. I followed suit and walked with her to Carlisle's office which was a floor below Melody's room.

Before I could knock Carlisle called us in. I opened the door and let Melody go in first. The moment Esme saw her daughter enter the room she rushed to her and hugged her tight. 'Don't ever scare me like that again young lady.' Esme whispered. She tried to sound stern but her smile ruined it a bit. Melody said a muffled "yes" before Esme let her go and walked back to sit on the corner of Carlisle's desk. I sat down on the chair opposite Carlisle and Melody sat down on my lap. I could feel she was still embarrassed about the way she had acted but I could also sense understanding from Carlisle and Esme. When I send these emotions to Melody her embarrassment became less and she relaxed a bit.

'You heard everything?' I asked Carlisle just to make sure. 'Yes we have, though we didn't mean to eavesdrop.' He apologised. 'It's okay dad… I shouldn't have acted the way I did… I know you were worried about me.' Melody said, looking from Carlisle to Esme as she spoke. They both shook their heads but only Esme answered. 'It's alright honey, you're okay now and that's all that matters.' She said lovingly. Melody nodded but I could still feel her embarrassment for her behaviour this past week.

'You came here to ask me questions right?' Carlisle asked then. 'Yes, we were wondering about the fire power Zackary had displayed more than once.' I explained. Carlisle nodded, 'Yes, the main problem Melody was having trouble with this week.' He stated. 'I have a theory about that.' He turned the screen of his computer around which showed an internet page about mythological creatures. 'I've done a lot of research ever since you came home with the fact about Zackary being just like Melody. The only combination of flying people, also revered to as angels by some, and the fire that is used by such people has not been seen by humans for quite some time. The last time one of them has been spotted was somewhere in the seventeenth century.'

'Seventeenth century? But the articles about flying humans you showed me a few years ago were from not that long ago.' I asked, wondering why that was. 'You are right Jasper but the articles were only about flying people and not about them handling fire as well.' Carlisle explained. 'Why were they spotted with fire in the seventeenth century?' Melody asked as I felt her curiosity increase. 'I believe that in those days the people really did think of them as angels and think that they would bring salvation. The people believed that the angels were punishing witches and others who were against the church by causing the fire that burned them at the stake.'

I could feel Melody's shock and I knew she wanted to say something but she kept quiet. Carlisle however saw that she wanted to ask something. 'Melody dear, if you have something you want to ask then please do.' He said with a warm smile. 'Well… I was wondering… did they really burn people?' Melody asked quietly. 'I don't know… some websites say they did do that but others say they didn't. It's mostly the religious sites that said they burned people but as you both know it was the church that had the most power in those days so people believed them.' Carlisle explained. I could feel Melody tense at Carlisle's words and fear was once again the dominant emotion that was coming from her.

I looked back at the website Carlisle had showed us earlier. 'Carlisle, what does mythology have to do with any of this?' I asked. 'In the old myths it was told that inhumanly beautiful creatures with wings that could create fire would roam the skies and help those in need. They would give people warmth and comfort during the cold winter days and would save humans from evil doers by creating a wall of fire between them and their victims.' Carlisle explained while scrolling down and showing us the paintings on the website of the events he was talking about. Melody was reading the website with interest and I could feel her relax every time something about the good deeds of the angel like people appeared on the screen.

'I don't know which of these two theories are correct but I'm sure we can find out by doing more research.' Carlisle said. 'Can we help with anything dad?' Melody asked, automatically including me in her question. 'Of course you can my dear but I don't want you to spend all your time in books or on the internet.' I could feel Melody get disappointed over what Carlisle had just said but he continued before she could interrupt. 'You have family and friends who love to spend time with you. I know you want to find out more about yourself and I don't mind you helping me but promise me that you will only help when I tell you it's alright.' 'I promise dad.' Melody said, happiness and love coming from her. She got up and hugged Esme and then Carlisle before coming back to me.

I was about to get up when Melody turned around and I could feel another problem coming up. 'Dad… what about the first time the fire power would come forth? Have you found anything about that?' she asked, ending in a whisper barely loud enough for even us to hear. 'I have found some information about that.' Carlisle said. He turned the computer screen back to himself and clicked on a few things before turning it back to us. 'It says that the angels, both the good once from mythology as the bad once described by the church, had heat radiating from their bodies before they shot fire.' Melody nodded while reading the text on the screen. 'I did notice that Zackary's body heat increased the moment he shot the fire at me from above.' I said while I cringed internally from what had happened that day.

'Does that mean that my body heat will increase as well?' Melody asked. 'Yes I believe so.' Carlisle replied. 'Which means we would be able to react accordingly when the time comes but I believe we are safe until that time comes.' I could feel Melody getting happier than she had been all week which made me feel a lot better too. 'Let's go outside!' she squealed happily. Before I could answer she grabbed my hand and ran towards the window which was luckily open. She put both her feet on the window sill and launched us into the morning air with so much force that we were already half a mile up before she spread her wings and hovered in place. I quickly grabbed her around her waist so that I wasn't dangling below her awkwardly. It did Melody a lot of good to be in the air again and I had to admit, I had missed being outside and especially in the air like this.

**Zackary POV**

I had been sitting in a tree for over a week, watching Melody be depressed in her room. I had no idea why she was depressed but I knew one thing for sure, I was probably not going to move from this spot for some time. No one could enter Melody's room except for her friend Anna and not even she could actually enter. She would just give Melody some papers from school through the barely open door before going home again. I had to hand it to the vampires though; they did know how to behave around humans properly.

Today was another day of sitting in the tree watching Melody be depressed… great. Positive point about today, it wasn't raining yet and I hoped it would stay that way. I was really getting tired of all the rain I had to sit in for this mission but I guess that the sun shining would be a problem for the vampires. A humanlike disco ball would probably draw a lot of unwanted attention. I yawned as Jasper came back from his hunt. He had left about thirty minutes ago and I had followed him to see what he was going to do. I had hoped he was going to do something interesting but was disappointed when it turned out to be nothing more than a quick hunt.

When Jasper had entered the house I had once again nothing else to do than look at the depressed girl. I was seriously considering just teleporting back home for a few hours, just to get some sleep when my attention was pulled back to the house by a loud smash. I focussed on Melody's room and saw that her door had been kicked in by none other than Jasper himself. Melody jumped up and as Jasper came closer she backed into a corner before creating a wall of her wings. I had to admit, that was a good move as our wings were pretty strong.

Jasper sank down on the floor next to her and for a second it seemed as if nothing was going to happen until Melody hit him back with her wings so hard that he flew through the wall. They then had a pretty loud conversation about why Melody was behaving the way she had the past week. She was screaming loud enough so that I heard it all the way out here and what she said made me feel a bit guilty. It was my fault she was this way which meant that the Master had been right about my methods being wrong. Luckily Jasper had calmed her down quite quickly which meant I could relax again.

They soon left the room and entered Carlisle's office a few seconds later. Carlisle showed them some things on the computer and I could see Melody relax and become happier as the conversation continued. This in turn relaxed me and I decided to just lay back in the tree for a bit as a nap wouldn't be all that bad for me now. I should have known that a nap was not going to be on my planning as a second later Melody jumped out of the office window and started to hover about half a mile above the ground. I had to admit she was getting pretty strong for her age but that was only to be expected of this girl.

'Melody! You're outside!' I looked around and saw my little pixy run towards the house from my right while looking up at Melody. Wait… did I just call her _my_ little pixy? Great… this was so not good. I was sure that that annoying seer was going to bug me about this later. I decided to file this as a problem for later and instead focussed on the conversation Melody and Alice were having now. It was really easy to follow as Melody refused to come down, saying she enjoyed the air up there too much, and also refusing to open their link again at the moment.

Melody promised Alice she would explain everything later and Alice had her promise that it would be during a shopping trip she was going to plan for tomorrow. Alice was now talking happily about all the shops they would go to and I couldn't help but like the sparkle that was forming in her eyes. The sparkle didn't stay there long though. Alice her eyes unfocused and I knew she was having one of her visions. The first time this had happened was when I had just begun keeping an eye on Melody. I had found it very strange but I had later learned that this was the future seeing I had heard them talk about earlier that day.

I was starting to wonder what she was seeing but then she snapped out of her vision and turned her head in my direction. No, not my direction… she was looking straight at me. Had she seen me here in her vision? And how? She shouldn't be able to see me without a link and I sure as hell didn't create one. It didn't matter though… there was no mistake that she was looking straight at me and I saw a smile play across her lips. I waited for her to call to Jasper and Melody about where I was but to my surprise she didn't. She just winked at me before dancing into the house and out of my sight.

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**Hope you all liked it ^_^**

**I do have small question: which POV do you like best? Or which POV would you like to see in the up coming chapters? Just click on "review" and let met know (anonymous reviews also possible!). The first who will give their favourite POV will see it in the next chapter the second in the second chapter and so on. **

**I will always write some part of a chapter in Jasper POV since this is his story but the others can not be forgotten ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	20. Angel

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! ^_^ Even though I get only 3 to 4 reviews for each chapter (out of the 60 people who read this story), every review is positive which gives me a lot of motivation to write more chapters and of course, to update :) So keep on reviewing please, it means the world to me ^_^**

**on to the next chapter, enjoy!**

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**Esme POV**

I had my daughter back! She had been so depressed this past week that I thought we would never see her smile again. I love all my children but Melody had a special place in my heart. I had seen her grow from a small infant to the thirteen year old girl she is today. I had been surprised when she jumped out of the window but couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I saw my girl in the sky where she belonged.

Ever since she could fly she had felt most at ease in the air and since a few years she would take Jasper with her as well. I had laughed out loud the first time she did this five years ago. Jasper had just been sitting in his room, probably reading one of his civil war books, when Melody had come running into his room. I could hear her saying she wanted to go and fly for a bit as it was a great day to fly. Jasper had wondered out loud why she was telling him this as she normally just flew off and tell him through their mental link. The next thing I heard was Melody running towards the window and a second later I heard Jasper cry out. When I had looked out of the window I saw what had caused Jasper to cry out like that. Melody had apparently grabbed his hand and jumped out of his bedroom window. I will never forget the look of fear that had been on Jasper's face that day as he was dangling from one hand about a mile up in the air. After that day Melody took Jasper flying lots of times as she had become strong enough to take him with her.

Today she had shown more strength then I ever thought was possible. The first time she had jumped it had been barely a quarter of a mile and now she was jumping half a mile up before having to unfold her wings. Carlisle had started looking for other links to what Melody might be and where she had come from the moment she and Jasper had left. I knew that I wouldn't be of much help to him right now so I decided to check on the damage that had been done in Melody's room.

I had to admit, the hole in the wall was impressive and I was surprised the whole wall hadn't come down around it. I took out my measuring tape and soon had all the numbers written down on a piece of paper. I walked back to my office and started thinking about what would be the best option for the wall. 'Esme!' Alice called before coming into my office. 'We're going shopping tomorrow, want to join?' she chirped. I hadn't heard that tone from her in over a week but then again, we had all been worried too much to act happy. 'Haven't you seen the answer to that question already?' I asked as I continued to draw my idea for the ruined wall.

'No… I can't see your answer.' Alice grumbled. I looked up from my papers to see a thoroughly annoyed Alice standing in front of me. 'Honey… what wrong?' I asked. 'Melody refuses to open our link and as she is coming with us tomorrow I can't see anything that might happen.' I smiled sympathetically to her as I knew how much she hated it to have blind spots in her visions. 'Yes Alice, I'll go shopping with you guys.' I said. 'Great! Now all I have to do is wait for Rose to ask her and we will be complete!' Alice said while jumping up and down in excitement. 'What about Anna?' I asked as I turned back to the plans on my desk. I heard Alice stop jumping before she answered. 'I didn't think of that… I was hoping Melody would explain to us why she was so depressed this past week.' Alice said.

I shook my head and turned back to face my daughter. 'Alice, you know that Anna has been worried sick about Melody so I think it would be only fair to invite her as well.' I explained. Alice nodded and I could see in her eyes that she knew I was right. 'You're right Esme; I'll call Anna later today as she'll probably want to sleep in on a Sunday. Melody will just have to explain everything to us later today.' Alice said before skipping off to her room.

I stared after her for a second before grabbing the plan for the wall from my desk and walking to Melody's room. I made a quick mental note to buy a new door as I stepped through the doorway and moved to the hole in the wall. I once again measured the whole thing and checked on my paper if I had written it all down correctly before rolling the paper up and putting an elastic band around it. I had wanted to buy the materials tomorrow as the shops are closed today but I didn't think that Alice had building material shops in mind for tomorrow. I'd just have to convince her to go there too, maybe as one of the last shops. I put the plan back in my office and headed downstairs to find Rosalie and Emmett sitting on the couch. 'Emmett, get your feet off my table.' I said, using my strict tone. Emmett replied with an unintelligible grumble before removing his feet of the table. I could hear Rosalie giggle but she stopped when Emmett looked at her with an annoyed look on his face.

'Did Alice get a chance to tackle you Rose?' I asked as I walked into the kitchen to start on Melody's breakfast. Rose walked in after me and sat down on the counter before she answered with a slight grin on her face. 'Yes she did ask me. It was really funny to see how frustrated she got when I didn't answer her right away. She really can't live without her gift, can she?' I shook my head. 'She has had her gift for as long as she can remember. I think not being able to use her gift properly would be like not being able to see or hear for us. It's a part of her and if she loses it she doesn't know how to react.' I explained. 'I guess you're right, but it's still nice to know that she can be like a normal vampire every once in a while.' Rosalie said. I nodded thoughtfully as I continued to make Melody's breakfast.

**Jasper POV**

It was great to be in the air again even though I wasn't a creature who should be able to fly. Melody had opened up a whole new world to me the moment she had taken me flying five years ago. The moment she had grabbed my hand in Carlisle's study and ran to the window I knew what she was going to do. Melody had unfolded her wings and we were now just hovering about half a mile from the ground. I breathed in the fresh air and was just starting to feel relieved at how things had turned out when Alice came running from the forest.

'Melody! You're outside!' Alice called and I could feel her happiness all the way up here. 'I'm so glad! I guess you're feeling better. Would you mind opening our link again now?' Alice asked, putting up her most begging face. Melody giggled at this but I could feel her determination and I knew what her answer would be before she told Alice. 'Not yet Alice.' She called back, confirming my earlier thoughts. Alice was clearly annoyed by this and I didn't have to be an empath to know this as her face told me all I needed to know.

'Fine… have it your way.' Alice said. 'Anyway, let's go shopping after school tomorrow!' she squeaked happily. I could feel that Melody was conflicted about this but I also knew she didn't want to let Alice down after what had happened the past week. 'That would be great Alice.' Melody called down. 'Well, come down then so that we can plan where we could go.' 'No, I like the air too much to come down now. I've missed it this past week.' Okay, Alice was now officially annoyed and I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

Alice poked out her tongue at us before her eyes unfocused and she was pulled into a vision. _Did you open your link with her?_ I asked Melody. _No… I meant it when I said that I didn't want to open up my links with the others… _She said. _This must be something I've got nothing to do with._ I looked down at Alice as her eyes came back into focus. She turned to the side and I saw her smile and wink at the trees that were there. I tried to follow her eyes but was met by trees, trees and more trees. I could also feel that Alice was disappointed to a certain degree but it was quickly replaced by understanding as she danced into the house.

'What was that all about?' I wondered. 'I don't know… but Alice will tell us when she wants to.' Melody shrugged. 'Let's get out of here for now, I really want to fly.' Before I could say anything about it she beat her wings down fast and with a lot of strength. We were over a mile high now but Melody didn't stop there. After a few more beats of her wings we were above the clouds. The air was cold and fresh and even though I didn't need air to survive I inhaled deep, feeling the cool air go into my lungs. The air up here was really a lot better than the air down on the ground which was one of the reasons I loved flying.

_Where would you like to go?_ Melody asked. _How about sightseeing in London?_ I suggested. I could feel her excitement as she had never been to London before. _I'll take your emotions as a yes._ I chuckled. A soft blush spread across Melody's face but before I could say anything about it she launched us into the direction of London. By car it would take about ten hours to get there, by airplane about two and by Melody? An hour at the most.

We arrived in the capital of Great Britain at nine in the morning. Melody landed us on top of a warehouse and quickly folded her wings before they disappeared into thin air. I walked over to the door that would lead to the staircase into the warehouse and pulled it open. 'After you my lady.' I said with a slight bow and a grin on my face. Melody giggled and bowed back before walking through the door. We walked down the stairs at vampire speed until we heard sounds not far below. _Humans always ruin the fun of running._ Melody grumbled. I suppressed my smile and opened a door that would lead to the top floor of the warehouse.

A few employees looked at us strangely because we came from the fire escape staircase but I just projected understanding to them which made them shrug and turn away. As Melody was still wearing the clothing she had put on yesterday we decided that a bit of shopping was in order. Soon Melody had found a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt and a dark green long sleeved vest. She also insisted on us buying coats and at least one umbrella and I had to admit that it was a good idea as it was raining. Neither of us would mind the rain but it would look strange to humans. Melody also bought a camera as she wanted to take pictures of her first visit to London.

'How about an English breakfast?' I asked when we were outside again. 'I've never had that before!' Melody said happily. She wanted to say more when her phone rang. 'It's mom…' she mumbled before picking up. 'He mom, what is it?' she asked casually. 'Melody where are you? I made breakfast for you.' I heard Esme say and at the same time I could feel Melody's embarrassment grow. 'Uhm… I'm… I mean we're in London at the moment.' Melody mumbled and I was sure that if Esme was a human she wouldn't have heard any of it. 'You're in London?' Esme sounded shocked which made me feel a bit embarrassed, I should have thought about this a bit more. 'Mom… I'm sorry… it was just an impulse thing… and Jasper is with me and we'll be home before dinner! I promise.' Melody said. It was quiet for a few seconds but then I heard Esme sigh and I knew Melody had won this. 'Fine, you can stay there but be home on time.' She said. 'I promise mom. Bye!' Melody said before snapping her phone shut and putting it back in her pocket.

'Let's go find some food for me.' Melody said and started walking down the street. I knew Esme wasn't really mad but she was probably upset that Melody had left so soon after she had come out of her depression. Melody soon found a small restaurant that served English breakfast which she ordered without toast. I ordered only toast which Melody ate as well when the waiter wasn't looking. After breakfast we went to sightsee areas like the Big Ben and the Tower bridge. Melody kept mumbling in a voice too low for humans to hear that the public transport was too slow and that she could crawl faster. It reminded me a lot of my first few years with the Cullens when I had to try and pretend to be human. It had seemed everything was going in slow-motion at that time which was really frustrating.

It was now twelve o'clock and we were standing in front of Buckingham palace to watch the change of guard. Melody really wanted to see this but was afraid that it might be uncomfortable for me with all the humans around. Luckily I had hunted this morning so my throat didn't hurt that bad though the crowd that was gathering here was making it a bit uncomfortable. Melody took my hand in hers and squeezed it softly. I looked down at her and gave her a small smile, telling her I was alright through our link. I could feel her relax at this but her worry for me remained as she didn't want me to feel uncomfortable.

Surprisingly the whole change of guard ceremony was kind of fun. Guards were coming from all sides and every time one squad had passed the streets opened up again to allow taxis to come through. After that the road would be blocked again and another squad would come from a different road. The last squad was a mounted squad and after that the roads were opened again and the traffic resumed. 'Wasn't this supposed to be a change of guard? Where are the guards who are going off duty now?' Melody wondered out loud. 'I guess they just go out through the back.' I shrugged.

We spend the rest of the day taking pictures of various famous buildings and places. Melody was only emitting positive emotions the whole day which made me smile a lot. I had missed this Melody the past week and I was really glad she was back. There was one thing I didn't like about today which was the attention that Melody got from boys. They were literally staring at her sometimes and I saw one walk into someone before looking ahead of himself again. I didn't like them looking at my sister like that and I liked the lust coming from them even less. I growled every time a boy looked at Melody which made her giggle softly. _You don't have to do that. I won't go with any of those guys._ Melody said and I knew that, but I still didn't like it.

'We should get home.' I said, trying to distract myself from yet another lustful teenager as well as it was the truth. Melody looked at me as if she was going to object but she knew I was right as I felt the realisation from her. 'I guess we could always come back right?' she asked, looking at me with her big brown eyes and a pout on her face. She knew I couldn't say no when she was looking at me like that. 'Yes we'll come back again.' I promised her. Her eyes began to sparkle and I knew it wouldn't be long before we were in London again.

We went back to the warehouse we had landed on earlier and with a bit of speed we got back on the roof unseen. I moved next to Melody and put my arms around her waist while she unfolded her wings. She flexed them for a second before putting her left arm around my back and beating her wings down hard and fast. We soared up and were soon above the clouds and going home.

**Melody POV**

London had been great! I saw everything I wanted but there was still so much more for me to see there. I knew Jasper was going to go back there with me and I couldn't wait. Though I might have to take Alice with me next time as she was really going to hate me for going to London without her. _You okay Mel? You feel a bit… annoyed._ Jasper said. _I'm fine… I was just thinking that I might have to take Alice with me next time._ I replied. I heard Jasper chuckle and scowled at him for it.

As much as I loved walking around the city I still loved flying way more. The feel of the air streaming past my face and the way it felt when I beat my wings down. The speed was also something I always enjoyed which had been a real problem in London. I had been really annoyed by the slow public transport and I knew Jasper had noticed that. I brought my wings down harder, giving us more speed and soon we were close to home.

_Isn't that the car of Anna her father?_ Jasper asked as we came below the clouds and into the rain again. I followed his gaze and saw the Edonis driving through the rain towards town. Thunder rumbled above us then and my head snapped up to the clouds. _We have to go down, now!_ I warned Jasper before folding my wings and letting us fall from the sky instantly. If we had been human we would both be screaming right now but luckily we didn't draw any attention as we didn't really feel the need to scream. I unfolded my wings again when we were just above the trees and let us hover in place.

Lightning flashed across the sky then and a second later the thunder followed. I was about to land so that we could go home on foot when lightning flashed down towards the street and made a deafening crash when it hit something metal. My head snapped up as I heard the one thing I didn't want to, Anna's scream. Without thinking ahead I launched forward and was at the scene in no time. The car had been struck on the left side which had caused it to swerve into a large tree. I landed next to the passenger's side and let go of Jasper who ran around to David's side of the car. I folded my wings away in case Anna was conscious before pulling the door completely out of the car and throwing it to the side.

Anna was unconscious and hanging forward in her seat, her head hitting the dashboard. The airbag had not come out and I wondered why as Rose and Emmett had checked the car the other day and had said it was just fine. I quickly unbuckled Anna and lifter her carefully out of the car. Blood was caked on her forehead and I knew I had to get her to Carlisle as soon as possible. Jasper was standing on the other side of the car with David in his arms. The smell of gasoline hit my nose then and I looked to the back of the car to see it trickling down the rear tyre. 'We have to go.' Jasper whispered as if he was afraid someone would hear him out here. I wanted to just walk away, into the forest, so that no one would see me run faster than humanly possible when another smell hit my nose hard. I looked at Jasper for a second and saw that he had smelt it too, fire.

I cursed under my breath as this couldn't get much worse before quickly unfolding my wings. Jasper nodded before running into the forest at vampire speed with David. I beat down my wings hard one time and I lifted us into the air. The beat of my wings also had a rather negative effect though. The wind that was caused by me hit the fire and a second later a large flame shot out of the car before it exploded with a deafening bang. I gained more height as the heat came closer but luckily I was faster than the flame. _Melody! Are you alright?_ Jasper asked as his fear hit me through our link. _Anna and I are fine. The car exploded when we were already far enough in the air. I'll see you at home._

I took one last glance at the burning car before heading to the house. I couldn't go as fast as I wanted to as I didn't really know how that would affect Anna and I didn't want to cause her more pain than she already had. We arrived home about two minutes later and I could already hear Carlisle and Jasper talking about David's condition. I was about to slowly land when Anna opened her eyes. Shock and pain were clearly visible in her eyes as she reached up to touch my face. 'Melody… you're an angel.' She whispered before passing out again.

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**As usual, please let me know what you think ^_^ **

**~Marieke~**


	21. Start of something new

**I finished this chapter sooner than expected ^_^ I guess not having to study does has its advantages :)**

**This chapter will have Carlisle, Jasper and Alice POV, enjoy!**

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**Carlisle POV**

I was about to see how Esme was doing in the kitchen when a very wet Jasper ran into the house, holding David McKenzie in his arms. My medical training kicked in immediately and I moved to Jasper to assess the situation. David's forehead was covered in blood and a large cut was visible just above his hairline. His right arm looked like it might be broken as it was hanging from an odd angle. 'Jasper… what happened?' I asked. 'Melody and I had just come into the town when this thunderstorm hit. A lightning bolt hit David's car and made it crash into a tree. Melody is coming with Anna who isn't doing much better than her dad here.' Jasper explained. Even though I was worried about David and Anna I was proud that Jasper was breathing normally even though there was fresh blood coming from David's wound.

A slight smile appeared on Jasper's face as he felt my emotions but he didn't comment. 'We'll have to call an ambulance but I'll at least clean the wound here so that it can't get infected.' Jasper nodded and put David on one of the couches. I quickly got my emergency bag and began cleaning the wound before bandaging David's head. Esme came out of the kitchen with hot water and a towel and began to clean the rest of the blood from David. I noticed that she was breathing as little as possible but she looked determined to do this.

Thunder sounded over head when Melody entered the house, completely drenched. 'Dad… It's Anna.' She choked as she looked down at her friend with tears in her eyes. 'Place her on the other couch honey so that I can see what needs to be done.' I said. Melody quickly did as I said and I began cleaning Anna's head wound as well. When I was done I gave both David and Anna a sedative so that they wouldn't be in pain before I called the hospital for two ambulances. 'Will they be alright?' Melody asked quietly. 'I believe so sweetheart. They didn't lose that much blood but they will need to be checked at the hospital for internal bleeding.' I explained. Melody just nodded and hugged Jasper tight. I saw tears streaming down her face as she looked at her friend and I knew this was too much for her after what happened this past week.

'Jasper, why don't you take Melody upstairs so she can take a shower and change out of her wet clothing.' I suggested. Jasper nodded and started to stir a reluctant Melody towards the stairs. 'Dad… will you stay with Anna when I'm upstairs?' Melody asked. 'Yes, I will.' I could see in her eyes that she trusted me as she let Jasper take her upstairs. I turned back to David and Anna and was relieved that both their heartbeats sounded healthy and strong which meant that they probably didn't have any internal bleeding.

Esme soon came back with a large bottle of bleach and started cleaning everything that had blood on it. Even though we could all resist human blood it wasn't as easy for the others as it was for me. When she was finished Esme came to stand next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. 'They will be alright won't they?' she asked. 'Yes I believe they will be fine but they will have to stay in the hospital for a bit to recuperate.' 'I know but I'm glad nothing too serious happened to them. It could have been so much worse.' Esme sighed and I knew she was happy that Anna and David were safe but even happier that nothing had happened to Melody.

Before anything else could be said Emmett burst through the door closely followed by Rosalie. 'What happened? We heard a crash and a second later an explosion and…' Emmett trailed off as he saw the unconscious forms of Anna and David for the first time. 'Were they in the explosion?' Rose whispered too soft for humans to hear. I nodded and explained what had happened when Jasper and Melody had come home. When I finished both Emmett and Rosalie were speechless and remained quiet when Jasper and Melody joined us again.

Melody sat down on the ground next to Anna and stayed motionless beside her friend. I soon heard the ambulances coming and decided to wait outside for them. When the paramedics jumped out of the trucks I quickly explained what had happened. The paramedics nodded curtly and went into the house with two stretchers. I collected my thoughts for a minute before walking back inside after them. I saw that they had already put Anna on a stretcher and were in the process of putting David on the other. I looked around to see Esme, Rosalie and Emmett sitting on the couch, quietly talking about what had happened. Jasper and Melody were standing on the other side of the room, having one of their silent conversations.

'Doctor Cullen, we are ready to take them to the hospital. Would you like to come with us?' one of the paramedics asked. 'Yes please, but can my daughter come too? Anna here is her best friend.' I explained. 'No problem doc.' the paramedic said. Melody walked towards me and hugged me tight before walking outside with the paramedics. 'I'll follow with my car.' Jasper said. It wasn't a question and I knew he wouldn't back down when it came to Melody so I nodded and headed to the ambulance which carried David.

**Jasper POV**

Melody was reluctant to leave Anna's side but with Carlisle reassuring her she walked upstairs with me. We parted ways so that we could both shower and change clothes. Melody was already done changing when I walked into her room but was still blow drying her hair in front of the mirror. _Do you think Anna and her father will be alright?_ She asked me. _I'm sure they'll be fine. Carlisle is the best doctor I have ever known and I know he won't let anyone down._ I reassured her. I could feel a bit of her concern turning to hope before she put her blow dryer down and walked to my side.

Before either of us could say anything we heard Emmett downstairs, followed by Rosalie. Carlisle started to explain what had happened at vampire speed. I could feel Melody get sad when she heard Carlisle retell the story. _Can we go downstairs? I want to be with Anna…_ Melody whispered in my head. I didn't say anything and instead held the door open for her.

Everyone was quiet when we came down though I could feel confusion coming from Emmett and Rosalie. Melody immediately went to sit on the floor next to Anna and I could feel her relax as she heard the steady heartbeat of her friend. I soon heard the ambulances coming and Carlisle went outside to give the paramedics a short, censored, explanation as to what had happened. A second later the paramedics entered the house and moved to Anna. Melody got out of the way as they lifted Anna onto a stretcher. She walked over to me and I could feel a bit of fear seeping through her system.

_What's wrong? _I asked. _It's Anna… she became conscious just as I was about to land earlier. Jasper… she saw my wings._ Melody said. I understood why Melody was fearful as this might cause a lot of problems but at the moment this wasn't the most pressing matter. _The most important thing right now is for Anna to get better. She might not even remember that she saw your wings or she'll think it was a dream. It's no use worrying about it now. _I told her. I could still feel some fear in Melody but it had at least decreased a little. Carlisle then asked whether Melody could ride with Anna on the ambulance and I could feel how happy she was with that. She hugged Carlisle and quickly walked outside and I heard her step into the ambulance. 'I'll follow with my car.' I told Carlisle. He nodded and went outside to sit in the ambulance with David.

I quickly went out the back door to the garage, got into my car and started following the ambulances. It was amazing how very slow an ambulance actually is. I caught up in a few seconds and after that we drove at a slow pace to the hospital. As the ambulances went to the ER entrance I parked my car at the visitor's parking lot and walked towards the ER. Melody was sitting on one of the visitor chairs and I could feel she was a bit more relaxed than when she got into the ambulance. 'They said Anna is going to be just fine. Her heartbeat is strong and healthy which indicates that there is probably no internal bleeding.' Melody told me as I said down next to her. 'And David?' I asked. 'David is going to be alright as well. Dad is in there with him now but he said he isn't worried.'

Carlisle came out of the room a minute later. Melody jumped up from her chair and walked towards him. 'Are they going to okay dad?' she asked. 'Yes, they are both going to be fine. No internal bleeding and probably not even scarring from their head wounds.' He told her. The last of the fear left Melody then though she was still concerned about something. 'You're still worried about what Anna saw aren't you?' I asked quietly. Melody turned to me and nodded. 'I'm definitely worried about that but I'm also worried as to why the airbags in David's car didn't work.' She said. 'You could ask Rose about that as she and Emmett were the ones who checked the car about a week ago.' Carlisle suggested before I could.

Melody nodded and stayed quiet for a minute before she focused on us again. 'Rose says that there was nothing wrong with the car when she gave it back to David a week ago. The airbags were working just fine at that time so something must have happened this past week.' Melody explained. 'It could be that the lightning had created a malfunction in the electric systems of the car.' I mused out loud. 'Dad, is that possible?' Melody asked. 'That could be possible but I must admit I'm not that good with cars but I think Rosalie will know.' Melody nodded and was quiet for another few seconds before she sighed in relieve. 'Rose thinks that it is very plausible that the lightning had caused the car to short circuit.' She told us.

Another doctor soon came towards us and explained again what Carlisle had already told us. 'The girl, Anna, is awake so you can go to her for a few minutes if you want to.' The doctor said. Melody nodded, thanked the doctor and skipped off to the room Anna was in. I followed a bit behind so that I could give Melody a bit of alone time to talk to Anna. She knew as well as I did that I could still hear them talk but Anna didn't and that was what mattered. 'Melody… you're here.' Anna whispered softly. If I had been a human I wouldn't have heard it. 'Of course I'm here… you're my best friend.' Melody whispered back. I could feel Anna's gratitude towards Melody. 'Mel… I had such a strange dream about you earlier.' Anna said. I could feel Melody's concern increase and heard her shift on her chair. 'It was after the crash… and you were holding me as if I weighted nothing at all… and we were flying in the rain… you were an angel Mel.' Anna explained.

'I'm no angel.' Melody said as she started to fidget. I decided to safe her from the situation and entered the room. 'He Anna, glad you're awake.' I said. Anna's head turned slowly towards me and a small smile appeared on her face. 'You were the one who pulled my dad and me out of the car.' She said. 'The doctor told me… thank you Jasper.' I could feel her gratitude towards me and I projected it to Melody too as it wasn't just me who helped Anna and David. _Thank you._ Melody said through our link. I grabbed a chair and sat down next to Melody.

'I'm glad you're okay Mel… I was really worried about you this past week.' Anna said after a while. Melody blushed at this and a bit of shame entered her system. 'I'm sorry I worried you… I didn't mean to… really.' Melody muttered. Anna shook her head and placed her hand on Melody's arm. 'It's okay, I'm just glad you're alright now.' She gave Melody a small smile before pulling back her hand. 'I guess it's the other way around now, isn't it?' Melody said after a few minutes of silence. 'I'll be the one bringing the homework while you lie in bed.' Anna had to laugh at this but stopped quickly as the pain in her head increased. I send her a small calming wave so that the pain resided a little faster.

Anna soon fell asleep from exhaustion so Melody and I went to find Carlisle. 'Dad, we're going home now. Are you coming with us?' Melody asked when we found Carlisle talking to another doctor. 'My shift starts in half an hour so I'm going to stay here.' Carlisle said. Melody nodded and started putting her coat on. 'Do you want me to pick you up when your shift is over?' I asked. 'That won't be necessary. Doctor Evans here has just offered me a ride home as his shift ends at the same time as mine.' Carlisle clasped my shoulder and hugged Melody. 'See you at home daddy.' Melody said. 'See you at home dad.' I said as I felt Carlisle's amusement at my use of his title. I never said "dad" to him unless others were around and he knew how unnatural it was for me.

On our way back Melody was feeling a lot better. She was talking about school and shopping the next day. 'Oh, I'll have to tell Alice that Anna isn't coming.' Melody said as we drove into the garage at the house. 'You haven't opened up your link with Alice then?' I asked. Melody shook her head. 'I don't know why… but something tells me that I shouldn't open up our link again.' 'Why is that? I can't feel anything strange from her.' 'I don't know… just a feeling, no big deal.' Melody shrugged but I could feel this was something that bothered her more than she let on at the moment.

**Alice POV**

Melody, Esme and Rosalie had agreed to go shopping so that left only Anna to ask. I was about to call her when Edward came out of the forest and walked straight towards me. 'He Edward, what is it?' I asked. 'It's about the girl―' Edward began but I held my hand up to stop him. 'Edward, just get over the fact that Melody isn't leaving the family any time soon.' I said sternly. 'Fine… I guess I'll have to accept that the girl―' I interrupted him again getting more and more agitated by the second. 'Would it kill you to say Melody instead of "the girl"?'

Edward sighed in frustration and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. 'Okay… fine. I know Melody isn't going to leave the family and I don't even want to talk about that.' I raised an eyebrow questioningly but remained quiet though Edward had probably heard my question in my head. 'It's about that guy, Zackary. He is connected to her and it just doesn't feel right.' Edward said. 'Zackary might be like Melody but I don't believe they are connected.' I huffed. 'Why are you so sure?' Edward asked. I quickly pushed my earlier vision of Zackary to the back of my mind and focussed on the shopping trip tomorrow. 'You're not going to help me are you?' Edward asked frustrated before he walked into the house. I heard the piano a second later and knew Edward was trying to calm down as he always played the piano when something was bothering him.

I decided that going into the house right now was not the best option I had so I went for a run again. This was going to be troublesome as the vision of Zackary kept playing in my mind and with Edward around it wouldn't stay a secret for long. I wish Melody could block my thoughts the way she blocked Jasper's thoughts. She had tried to do so a couple of years ago but it just didn't seem to work with anyone but Jasper.

When I was far away from the house to be safe from Edward's mindreading I stopped running. It was possible to block things from him but it wasn't always as easy, especially when the thing you want to block is something you think about all the time. I pulled my phone out and dialled Anna's number as I still had to invite her to go shopping with us tomorrow. She picked up on the third ring and sounded sleepy. 'Hello?' she murmured. 'Anna? It's Alice. Did I wake you up?' I asked while checking the time on my watch. It was a quarter pas eight which wasn't that bad right? 'No, I was already awake, just not that long yet.' Anna said while trying to stifle a yawn. 'Well, the reason I'm calling is that I want to ask whether you would want to go shopping tomorrow after school.' I chirped happily. 'Shopping? What about Melody?' Anna asked. I could hear the worry in her voice and remembered that Anna wouldn't know that Melody was alright again.

'Melody is fine again. Whatever was bothering her isn't anymore and she wants to go shopping tomorrow. Esme and Rosalie are coming too so it will be a girls day out!' I said happily. 'She's fine again? No way! I have to come and see her!' Anna cried. 'Wait one second Alice.' I heard her put her hand over the phone and a second later she was calling her father. 'Dad! Can I go to the Cullens today? Melody is feeling better and I really want to see her!' A second later the muffled voice of David was audible through the phone. 'Sure but we can't go until later this afternoon as we are going to drink tea at your grandparents.' The hand was removed from the phone then and Anna breathed out an agitated sigh before she spoke to me again. 'We can't come to your place until later this afternoon. Will you tell Melody for me?' 'Sure, no problem! Then we can talk about the shopping trip as well.' I said. Anna agreed and told me she would probably come between five and six later today. 'Okay, I'll tell the others.' I said before hanging up and putting my phone back in my pocket.

I didn't want to go home yet as that would mean once again blocking my thoughts from Edward. I contemplated going hunting again but as I had just hunted a few hours ago it wasn't really necessary. Sighing loudly I dropped down on the forest floor and stayed there with my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. As vampires can't actually sleep I just let my memories loose in my head making a daydream of it.

'What are you dreaming of beautiful?' My eyes snapped open and I was at least thirty feet away from the place I had been lying in less than three seconds. I automatically crouched down in a defensive position and growled. 'Is that the way to greet me? After I had finally mustered up the courage to actually talk to you?' 'Zackary… what are you doing here?' I asked, ignoring his rhetoric questions and looking around to see where he was. 'Well… I kind gave in.' he said. 'You gave in?' I didn't really understand what he was saying though I knew where this was going if my vision was correct.

Zackary jumped out of a tree then and landed on the spot where I had been lying earlier. 'Yep, I gave in as I believe you already knew I would.' He said with a sly grin on his face. I got out of my crouch and slowly moved towards him. I had seen this in my vision from earlier and I knew where this was going but it felt like a betrayal to my family. Zackary raised his hand and stroked my cheek when I was standing in front of me. His touch felt warm and familiar as if he had done this a million times before now. I closed my eyes and without thinking about it I leaned into his touch and smiled.

'I can't stay long.' Zackary said after a few seconds of just standing in silence. I opened my eyes and gave him a sad smile. 'When will I see you again?' I asked, failing to keep the hurt out of my voice. 'As soon as possible but until then we will just have to do with talking through the link.' Zackary said. 'Link? You mean like the link I have with Melody?' I asked. Zackary shook his head, 'It's not like your link with Melody… more like the link between Jasper and Melody.' He explained. 'Really?' I could feel my excitement grow and before I knew it I had jumped on him and was hugging him tight. 'Yeah, really.' He chuckled as he hugged me back. 'This will mean that you can't have a link with Melody anymore though.' Zackary said. He pulled back a bit to see my reaction to that but I just shrugged. 'I think I'll enjoy this link much more.' I stated confidently but Zack could see the conflict in my eyes.

Yes it would be great to have a link with Zackary. To be able to speak with him whenever I wanted, which would be always, and to get to know him better. On the other side, no link with Melody meant no visions of anything she is involved with which would mean the entire family. The worst thing of all was that Edward would be able to read everything I would say to Zackary which would cause a lot of problems. I knew I would have to tell my family about Zackary at some point but definitely not through Edward.

'You're worried about your visions and your mind reading brother, aren't you?' Zack said with a grin on his face. I just nodded while trying to think about a solution to this. 'I can shield you from Edward's mind reading like Melody is shielding Jasper so you don't have to worry about that.' 'And my visions? I don't want to endanger my family.' Zackary put me down but held me in his arms. 'You won't have visions when Melody is involved but you will have visions of things that involve me.' He said while leaning his cheek on my head. 'Since you have a link with me you'll probably see things that have to do with your family too as long as I'm involved.' I thought about that for less than a second and couldn't help the smile that crept across my face. 'I guess that could work.' I said. I leaned my head on his chest and we just stayed that way for who knows how long. Zackary never mentioned leaving even though he had said he couldn't stay long.

Thunder rumbled over head and a drop of rain fell on my arm, ruining the very long moment. I looked up to see lightning flashing overhead but a second later a large sandy coloured wing appeared over me, shielding me from the rain. 'I could get used to this.' I smiled. 'I could take you flying some day if you would want to.' Zackary suggested. 'Really? That would be so awesome!' I squealed. I started jumping up and down in excitement when an explosion sounded through the forest. I turned towards the direction the explosion had come from and saw a large column of smoke rise above the trees. A second later I saw Melody fly towards the house with an unconscious Anna in her arms.

'Let's go.' Zackary said before I could say anything. He grabbed my hand and started running towards my house. When we were close he lifted me in his arms and jumped up, landing in the same tree he had been in earlier today when I had my vision about us. I had to admit this was the perfect spot to watch over the house. Melody's room was clearly visible as was the living room in which my family was standing. I couldn't see Edward which meant he had once again run off somewhere but I really didn't care at the moment. 'You sit here every day to watch Melody?' I asked. 'Yeah… orders from above.' Zackary said. He sounded as if he wasn't too happy with his orders at the moment. Before I could react I was pulled into a vision.

_The entire family was standing together in a white house I didn't recognize. I was standing opposite of them all and standing next to me was Zackary. Carlisle was standing in front of the others as head of the family. Emmett was standing protectively in front of both Rosalie and Esme. Edward was holding an unfamiliar brown haired girl and was glaring at me and Zack. Melody was older than she was now and was standing next to Jasper. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and was looking at me questioningly. Melody was just grinning as if she knew something. _

My vision ended and I looked at Zackary. 'What did you see?' he asked. 'You didn't see it through the link?' I asked a bit confused because Melody had been able to see my visions through the link we had. 'I didn't know whether you would mind if I just eavesdropped on your visions.' Zackary shrugged. 'Well for the record, I don't mind you seeing my visions through our link.' I said before explaining what I had seen. 'My vision was a few years into the future as I saw that Melody was older than she is now. It was of my family standing across from us and by the looks of it they had just found out about us.' 'I guess we'll be able to keep it to ourselves until then.' Zackary said.

Ambulances arrived then and I saw Carlisle come out and talk to the paramedics before they entered the house. They came out again a few minutes later with David and Anna on stretchers. Melody soon came outside and stepped into the ambulance with Anna while Carlisle got in the other one. As the ambulances drove off Jasper came from the garage in his car and followed them. 'I have to follow her as I haven't done so this entire day and I don't think my master would appreciate that.' Zackary chuckled. 'And I guess I should go inside and ask what happened.' I sighed as I knew he was right. I didn't want to leave because I had only just found him but my family needed me too. Zack raised his hand and stroked my cheek before spreading his wings and flying off in the direction of the hospital. I stared after him for a second before jumping out of the tree and making my way to the house to find out what had happened.

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**Let me know what you think about it! ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	22. Saying goodbye always hurts

**I know this chapter is up later than usual but there are a few reasons for that. One reason is that my internship started this week and another is that I started training Taekwondo again twice a week in the evening so my time to write has become a bit limited.**

**Another reason (and to me the most important!) is that I only got 1 review for my previous chapter! I even uploaded it earlier than usual and my thanks for that was ONE review! It got me kind of demotivated to tell you the truth. Don't get me wrong, I still love writing but the motivation to write a new chapter within a week kind of died. I mean, if you guys don't bother to spend less than a minute to review why should I bother to spend extra time on writing a chapter and update the story once a week?**

**The only review I got is also the reason I'm updating at all. She is my most loyal reader and reviewer so this chapter is for you Isabel!**

**Rosalie, Emmett and Melody POV**

**enjoy :)**

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**Rosalie POV**

The ambulances had just left when Alice came dancing into the house with a grin on her face. 'What is she grinning about?' Emmett asked too soft for anyone but me to hear. 'I don't know but if she doesn't lose that grin soon I'll make her lose it.' I growled just as softly. I felt Emmett's arm tighten around my shoulders but he didn't say anything. Alice skipped towards the couch opposite Emmett and me and sat down, her grin still in place.

'Alice… could you please wipe that grin off your face?' I hissed. The grin disappeared to be replaced by a concerned look but her eyes betrayed her. There was still a twinkle in her eyes which meant she was still smiling on the inside. I growled at her but as I was locked in Emmett's embrace I couldn't do anything else. 'What happened here that made you so testy Rose?' Alice asked, still trying to look concerned and still failing at it. 'Well, as you might have noticed, there is a thunder storm going on outside. Anna en David were hit by lightning while driving and crashed into a tree only to be found by Jasper and Melody.' I said as fast as I could and with as much venom in my voice as possible. Before Alice could say anything in return I continued. 'Of course, had you been here you could have told us this would happen and might have been able to prevent it.'

To my surprise Alice crossed her arms and stomped her foot down while looking at me as if she wished I would just disappear if she stared long enough. 'For your information Rosalie, I didn't see anything about David and Anna getting hurt because Melody hasn't restored our link. Seeing as she was obviously involved I didn't see anything and therefore couldn't warn you.' She snapped before turning standing up and stalking off to the kitchen where she started talking to Esme. 'Did you really have to be that harsh?' Emmett asked softly. I took a deep breath and released it slowly before I answered. 'Anna and David are in the hospital right now and Melody is feeling really bad again so forgive me for being harsh right now.' I spat.

Before I could say anything else on the matter my least favourite person walked in. 'He Eddy, you missed a few things while you were gone!' Emmett boomed next to me. Edward stood still for a moment and I knew what he was doing and I didn't like it. _Get out of my head Edward._ I hissed to him. He glared at me but didn't reply. Instead he asked the one thing I had least expected. 'Alice is home?' I blinked in confusion a couple of times but he seemed to be serious about his question. 'Yes... she's home… you of all people should know who is home and who isn't since someone's privacy isn't something you really care about.' I snapped. I waited for the usual snap back but Edward surprised me once again by looking annoyed and answering me in a normal way. 'That is the problem; I can't hear her thoughts at all.' He said and I understood why he was so annoyed; he hated it when he couldn't read someone's thoughts.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked it when Edward is feeling miserable, but I did understand why he was annoyed right now. I was also wondering why Alice would be silent to him as the only two people with a mental block weren't even here at the moment. Edward walked into the kitchen then and after less than a second of thinking I followed him. 'Alice can I talk to you for a second?' Edward asked politely though I could hear the underlying annoyance in his voice. I couldn't help but smirk at Edward's attitude right now which earned me a growl from said person.

Alice agreed to talk to Edward but not in the house. They ran out of the house quickly and were soon out of sight and hearing. 'Where did those two run off to?' Emmett asked as he walked into the kitchen. 'Talking in private about Alice her sudden silent mind.' I shrugged, not really interested in it anymore. After all, it didn't really concern me. Emmett slung his arm around my shoulders en gave me a kiss on my cheek. 'Shall we go upstairs?' he asked suggestively. 'Maybe.' I teased, stretching the word for a bit. Emmett smirked, grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the stairs.

_Rose… do you have a minute?_ I stopped in my tracks as Melody's voice sounded in my head. Emmett looked at me questioningly but I ignored him. _Melody? Is something wrong? Did something happen to Anna and David on the way there?_ I asked while thinking about what might be wrong. _No, Anna and David are doing fine under the circumstances. I was just wondering about the airbags in David's car. _Melody said. _What about the airbags? There was nothing wrong with them when we gave the car back to David last week._ I said, getting a bit confused.

Melody was quiet for a few seconds and I was on the verge of asking what was wrong when she spoke again. _Could the lightning hitting the car have caused the airbags to malfunction?_ Melody asked. Okay, not really an answer to my earlier question but as Melody was under a bit of pressure I decided to let it slide. _Yes I suppose that is possible though we can't check it as the car kind of exploded. _I replied. _Thanks Rose._ Was all she said after which my head once again became silent.

'Rosie… what's wrong?' Emmett asked. 'Melody wanted to know something about the airbags in David's car. Apparently they didn't work when they crashed.' I said. 'That would explain the head wounds.' Esme mused while she prepared Melody's dinner. 'I guess so… though it still doesn't really make sense that lightning would damage the system…' I said. 'It is the only explanation we've got. We could talk to Carlisle and Jasper about it later though.' Emmett suggested. I smiled at my husband and knew he was right. We would have to wait until Carlisle and Jasper were home. Jasper was there when the accident happened and Carlisle always knew what to do.

**Emmett POV**

When I saw my Rosie smile I knew she was going to be alright. What had happened today wasn't something any of us had wanted but assuring her that Carlisle would have an answer always helped. As I figured we were done talking for the moment I tugged on Rose her arm again and this time she went with me no problem. I had to admit that if she hadn't come with me now I would have thrown her over my shoulder and carried her upstairs. Just thinking about that made me grin. We ran upstairs at vampire speed and were on the bed in a few seconds. Rose looked at me seductively and a growl escaped my lips.

Two hours later we were lying on the floor of our bedroom in the remains of our bed. We would have to buy a new one tomorrow but this time nothing else was broken which meant no scolding from Esme. 'We could go for a run.' I suggested. Rose turned towards me and smiled but it disappeared soon as Melody banged on our door. 'Rose, Emmett come on there's loads we need to tell you.' She said. I grumbled and held Rosalie tight; hoping that if we stayed very quiet Melody would just leave. Of course we had no such luck. 'I know you guys are in there… I could hear you downstairs.' She sighed. Damn… I kept forgetting that Melody's hearing was as good as ours.

I was still thinking about a good comeback that would allow Rose and me to escape but my dear wife beat me to it and not in the positive sense. 'We'll be right there Mel. Give us a few minutes.' Rose said. She jumped up and went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. I could easily break the lock and go after her but I don't think Rose would let me survive it. I waited in the wreckage that was once our bed until Rose came out of the bathroom completely dressed. She winked at me before going downstairs.

I took a quick shower, pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and headed downstairs in a few bounds. Everyone was already downstairs except for Carlisle who was still at the hospital. Rosalie was sitting next to Jasper one on of the couches. Melody was sitting cross legged on the floor while Alice was sitting on the other couch with Esme. Edward was sitting at his piano which was his favourite spot.

I aimed, jumped and landed on the couch next to Rosalie with a grin on my face. 'Emmett… do you really have to grin every time you land on the couch like that?' Melody asked a bit bored. I felt the grin slip from my face to be replaced by a scowl. 'It's okay baby, I think it's sweet.' Rosalie cooed. I grinned at her and kissed her forehead.

'When you are ready Emmett.' Esme said lovingly though I heard the stern undertone in her voice.

I just nodded and slung my arm over Rose her shoulders before I turned to Esme. 'Jasper and Melody have some news from what happened at the hospital.' Esme explained. Everyone turned their heads to Jasper and waited for him to speak.

'David and Anna are both alright and are recuperating as we speak. David has a broken arm and a concussion. Anna was kind of lucky and only has a concussion.' Jasper explained. I heaved a sigh in relief but tensed immediately as this wasn't the most pressing thing. 'The problem is that Anna saw my wings when I was bringing her back to the house.' Melody said. 'In the hospital she told me she had seen me in a dream but I think we need to be careful as she might realise that it wasn't a dream.'

'Edward, couldn't you keep tabs on her thoughts?' I asked, turning around to look at him. 'Sure, I could do that. At least at school it shouldn't be a problem.' He said. Good, one problem down but by the look on Melody's face there were more. 'Another problem is that I tried to open my link with Rosalie, Esme and Alice. With Rosalie and Esme I didn't have any trouble but somehow I can't open up my link with Alice. I have to admit that I was reluctant to even try and open the link with Alice but Jasper kind of made me.' Melody grumbled the last part. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face which earned me a slap on my head. 'Ow… Rosie…' I mumbled, but she ignored me.

'Why do you think that is Mel?' Rose asked. 'I don't know and neither does Alice. At least she said she doesn't know.' 'How about you Eddie, can't you just read her mind and find out?' I asked. Edward growled at the use of his hated nickname and didn't look at me when he answered which only made me grin. 'I can't read Alice her mind. We talked about it earlier but she doesn't seem to know why her mind is blocked.' Edward explained.

'I don't think there is much we can do about this right now. We'll have to wait until Carlisle comes home. Maybe he'll know why Alice is blocked to you two.' Esme said. She sounded tired and I knew how hard this was for her as a mother. She didn't like seeing any of us hurt whether it was physically or mentally. Edward started playing the piano then and Alice went upstairs. Esme went to the kitchen and Melody followed her while Jasper ran upstairs and came back with one of his war books and began reading.

'Shall we finish what we started this morning?' Rose purred. 'You've read my mind.' I growled back playfully. Jasper rolled his eyes at us but I ignored him completely as my Rosalie stood up and slowly walked to the back door, swaying her hips. She looked back for a second, winked and sprinted out of the house. A load but playful growl rumbled through my chest and I raced after her, only one thought left in my head.

**Melody POV**

Two years went by and Anna never mentioned anything about me being an angel. I had gone to the hospital every day after school to visit her and give her the new homework. We had talked about lots of things but never about what had happened on the night of the accident. Anna didn't remember anything about the crash and had apparently decided that seeing an angel was an actual dream. She had gone back to school two weeks after the accident and had no trouble with the lessons as Jasper had been so kind to teach her while she was stuck in bed.

We never actually found out what happened to the airbags of the Edonis. Carlisle and Rosalie finally had to admit that it had probably been the lightning that had caused the airbags to malfunction. Alice her mind stayed silent to Edward as well and I didn't even try to open my link with her again as something told me it wasn't going to work anyway. Carlisle had talked to Alice about it while Jasper monitored her emotions. He did detect some guilt and a few emotions that told him she was not telling us something but she stuck to her story. As nothing indicated that Alice her lie would be a thread to all of us we all decided to just leave it at this until it would become an actual problem.

Today was, as Carlisle put it, a day to remember. Anna and I had graduated from junior high and were getting our diplomas today. Mom had bought a new camera just for this occasion and I knew if she could she would be crying. We all walked into the school together but at the gym entrance, where the ceremony would be held, we said our goodbyes and went into a classroom next to the gym. I heard my family and Anna's parents, David and Bianca; discuss which the best place to sit was. Just before the door closed behind Anna and me I heard mom and Bianca veto every seat that would be bad for taking pictures.

We put our graduation gowns and caps on and went to sit down to wait for one of the teachers to come and explain everything to us. To my surprise it was Edward who entered the room as the last few students sat down quickly. 'You will all walk in to the gym in a normal way. There will be no pushing and trading places whatsoever. I will call your names alphabetically and you will stand in a two by two row, starting from the door.' Edward explained. We all nodded in understanding after which Edward started reading down the list of names.

As expected I was one of the first in the line, the fifth to be exact, and Anna was a bit in the back. I turned around and waved at her nervously which she returned with a nervous smile. Edward then walked to the beginning of the line and led us out of the classroom and into the gym. We entered the gym through a side door and were met by applause from everyone who was present to watch the ceremony. A row of empty seats stood in front of our public and Edward motioned for us to sit down, beginning at the farthest front seat and slowly moving back and up.

After about ten minutes we were all seated according to plan. I saw Edward do a quick check if everyone was really seated where they were supposed to before he walked over to the rest of the teachers and sat down. I turned my head a bit to see where Anna was and I had to stifle a laugh at what I saw. The main colour of our school was a dark green and so my eye met a sea of seaweed green in my search for Anna. I finally spotted her two rows back and a few seats to the left of mine. She was fidgeting with her robe and looking at her feet the entire time.

I didn't have time to wonder about why Anna was nervous though as our headmistress stood up and walked onto the stage to the microphone. I tuned out the entire speech the headmistress had prepared. When the headmistress finished her speech, and everyone had clapped, she stepped aside and the deputy headmaster, Mister Evans, took her place at the microphone. Jasper, Miss Sullivan and Mister Daniels stepped onto the stage as well and took place behind the three desks that were on the right of Mister Evans.

Mister Evans took a sheet of paper from his inside pocket and told us to walk up to him when our name was called. I watched as the four students before me were called. They all walked to Mister Evans to get their diploma and shook his hand before moving on to the other three teachers. 'Melody Cullen.' Mister Evans called. I stood up and climbed the small stairs onto the stage. 'Congratulations miss Cullen.' Mister Evans said as he handed me my diploma. He then held out his hand for me to shake after which he motioned me to move on to the other teachers.

I put my diploma in my left hand as I moved on to shake hands with Jasper. 'Congratulations.' Jasper said formally but he added a bit extra through our link. _I'm proud of you Mel._ I smiled as I felt how proud he was. I shook hands with Miss Sullivan and Mister Daniels next and walked from the stage again to sit back on my seat. I could see mom taking pictures of me the entire time I was walking back and I had a feeling that she had taken pictures from the moment my name had been called.

I didn't pay much attention to the others who were called up until Anna was called. She stood up and walked up the stage nervously. She looked up at Mister Evans as he congratulated her. The moment he gave her, her diploma I saw Anna relax and I figured that she might have been afraid that she wasn't really going to get her diploma. She shook hands with Jasper and then went passed the other teachers as quickly as possible for a human. When she sat back down on her seat she let out a relieved sigh and I couldn't help but laugh quietly at this.

When the entire ceremony was finished it took Emmett only a few seconds to bounce towards me and lift me into a bear hug. 'My baby sister is growing up so fast.' I blubbered as if he was actually crying. 'I love you too Emmett but can you please let me go now?' I wheezed. 'Oh, right… sorry.' Emmett said. He put me down and ruffled my hair before bouncing over to Anna to congratulate her as well though he didn't give her a hug, probably afraid he might crush her.

My mom and dad came next and they both congratulated me and told me how proud they were. Mom then insisted that we took some pictures with everyone which ended up being a lot of pictures with everyone, including Anna, David and Bianca. Rosalie and Alice both congratulate Anna and me at the same time and in a normal way and Edward just nodded his head at me but didn't say anything. I had gotten used to the fact that he didn't like me so I wasn't really bothered by it.

We parted ways with Anna's family at the parking lot but we would meet again later tonight at the graduation party Alice had organized. I had told her over and over again that it wasn't necessary to throw a party as this was only junior high graduation but it was like talking to a brick wall. Alice loved parties and she wasn't about to waste as chance to give one. At home both Alice and Rosalie flew out of the car and started decorating the house. I sighed and decided to ignore my sisters and walked to my room. I threw my graduation gown and cap on my bed and walked into my closet to find an outfit for tonight before Alice could come in and pick one for me.

When I had sorted through my clothes three times I had two outfits that would probably be something Alice would agree with. I put both outfits on my bed and looked at them, trying to see the pros and cons of both. The first was a black skirt and dark purple shirt that matched up perfectly and the second outfit was a midnight blue cocktail dress. I was sure Alice would approve of both but I wasn't sure which one was the right one for this occasion. _Jasper, could you help me pick an outfit for tonight?_ I asked.

Jasper didn't reply and instead appeared at my door a second later. He knocked politely which had become normal in the past two years. I had been surprised the first time he had knocked instead of just entered but he had explained, while looking away with embarrassment clear in his eyes, that he respected my privacy now that I was growing up. I didn't really get it at that time but as I grew older I became happy that he had decided to respect my privacy.

I opened the door and let him in while I picked up my first outfit, the shirt and skirt, and went into my closet to change. When I came out Jasper was sitting on my bed. He looked at me critically but didn't say anything. I wasn't bothered by this as he never commented in between outfits, preferring to wait until he had seen them all before he commented on them. I quickly changed into the blue dress and knew this was the one the moment I came into my room again. Jasper's mouth was hanging open and he didn't even seem to notice it. I felt my face turning red and looked away quickly. When I glanced back Jasper's mouth was closed which made me relax a little. 'I'm guessing you like this one the most?' I asked sheepishly when he still didn't say anything. 'Yeah, this one is definitely the winner.' Jasper said after a second. 'Thanks, now I don't have to worry about Alice bouncing through my closet. Now all I have to do is my hair and then I'm done.' I said happily. 'I'll leave you to it then.' Jasper chuckled.

He got up and left my room. A second later I heard his door close and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Why was I reacting like this? It was just Jasper so why did I have to blush and feel so awkward? He had probably felt my shyness just now which made it all the more embarrassing. I sat down in front of my vanity mirror and started combing my hair as a distraction. The combing relaxed me enough to get a grip of my emotions and to start to actually do my hair.

When I came downstairs the entire living room had been transformed into a party room, complete with disco lights, balloons and streamers. Alice and Rosalie appeared in front of me in a second and started ranting about how great my dress looked and that my hair was just gorgeous. In the end I hadn't done much with my hair, just pulled half of it into a bun at the back of my head and let the rest of my curls hang loose down my back. Rose however still pretended to wipe away a tear from her eye and said she was proud of me. Alice complimented me on my fashion sense before both of my sisters ran upstairs to change themselves.

Mom and dad were in the kitchen working on the buffet for the evening while Emmett was sitting on the counter doing absolutely nothing. 'Being your useful self again Em?' I asked sarcastically. 'Yep, but even if I wanted to help Esme wouldn't let me.' Mom shot him a motherly smile which said he was right. 'Can I help with anything mom?' I asked though I already knew the answer. 'No honey, that's alright. This is your day so just relax and do things you like okay?' My mom said lovingly.

I was thinking about going for a quick fly when the doorbell rang, effectively stopping that plan in its tracks. I walked to the door at a normal speed but Alice beat me to it by using vampire speed. She was extremely hyper about this party and I kind of hoped she would be able to keep up the pretence of being human. Alice opened the door to reveal Anna, David and Bianca. I had already heard them come up the drive and walk towards the door but as this wasn't something normal for humans to hear I reacted surprised that they were already here.

I welcomed them into the house and as soon as the pleasantries were done Bianca walked into the kitchen to help mom and David started a conversation with Edward and dad. I grabbed Anna's arm and dragged her to the couch where we spend about an hour talking about the past three years of school. Others soon arrived as well and Alice announced that the party had officially started. As there were a lot of actual humans in the house no one noticed that the rest of my family wasn't eating though most of my fellow students kind of avoided them. Humans never really liked interacting with vampires and the only exceptions to that rule were Anna and her parents.

'I can't believe you're all moving away.' Anna said when the party was coming to an end around midnight. 'I don't really get a say in it. Dad got a job offer in America and he really wanted to go.' I shrugged. It hurt me to leave but as my family didn't age and they began as adults instead of teenagers when we moved here it was already time to leave. 'We will keep in touch right? You have to promise me to keep in touch.' Anna said, pleading me with her eyes. 'Of course I'll stay in touch and you have to visit me in America.' I said. 'You know I will.' Anna said with a small smile on her face though I could see tears in her eyes. I could feel my own tears come as well and a second later we were both hugging and crying about having to separate.

Anna, Bianca and David were the last to leave. Bianca had insisted that she wanted to help with the cleanup but it was obvious she wanted to give Anna and me as much time as possible to say goodbye. 'Do you guys really have to leave tomorrow?' David asked my dad in a whisper as they were putting away the streamers. 'My new job starts next week and I don't want be in the middle of my jetlag then.' Dad explained. Bianca came from the kitchen then and told David and Anna that it really was time to go home now. I walked with them to the door to wave goodbye. Anna and I hugged one more time before she walked after her parents to the car.

I sniffed and tears started streaming down my face again but I didn't care. Anna was my best friend and I would miss her so much that these were tears I would gladly spill for her. Jasper came to stand next to me and put his arms around me. I didn't care about my embarrassment earlier or the fact that a slight electric current went through me the moment Jasper's arms went around me. I just leaned into his embrace and sobbed over the loss of my best friend, because even though she said she would visit, it would never be the same as the past three years.

It took me half an hour to stop the tears and I was thankful that Jasper didn't try to manipulate my emotions. He just held me and let me ruin his shirt with my tears. The others had left the room to give me some privacy but they were close enough to hear that my sobbing had stopped. They entered the living room at a human speed but as I didn't protest they relaxed and quickly sat down on the couches but didn't say anything. 'I'm sorry about this Mel.' Dad said after a few minutes of silence. I shook my head and gave him a small smile. 'It's okay dad. I know why we have to move but it's never been this hard for me.' I explained.

'We'll have to start packing tonight if we want to move tomorrow but I suggest you get some sleep Mel, we can handle the packing.' Mom whispered as if saying it out loud would kill me. Normally I would argue about this but as I was quite tired and still felt miserable about having to leave I didn't put up a fight and let Jasper take me upstairs. He waited in my bedroom while I went into my bathroom to shower and change into my pyjamas. I quickly brushed my teeth and combed my hair before walking back into my bedroom. Jasper had pulled my sheets back so I quickly crept into my bed and pulled the sheets back over me. 'Goodnight Mel.' Jasper whispered. I mumbled something back and a second later I heard him close my bedroom door behind him.

As sad as I was about having to leave this town and my best friend I was also kind of excited about the move. It would mean a new house, a new location, new skies to explore and maybe even new friends. I fell asleep, wondering what the town called Forks would be like.

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**Another long chapter and I hope you guys enjoyed it. I also hope more will review because what I said above is true: more reviews give me the motivation to finish the chapters earlier. I'm sorry but that's just the way it is.**

**I will still update because I love this story too much to not update but no reviews will mean (really) slow updates...**

**On a totally different note:  
I'm not sure whether I want the wolf pack (or just some of the pack) to appear in this story. I have a lot of ideas how the wolfs will fit into the story but I also have a lot of ideas how to do the story without them. In this case I'm really leaving it up to all of you who read the story. **

**So, wolf pack - Yes / No?  
No? - none of the pack or maybe just a few of the pack?  
****A few? - Who would you like to star in this story? (I can fit any of them into the story so don't worry about that ^_^)**

**~Marieke~**

**ps. Don't get me wrong, I'm not angry about the review thing... just a bit disappointed. **


	23. Confessions

**I got three reviews for the last chapter :D and one more for chapter one :) So to those who reviewed, thank you so much!  
Still, when I see that almost 70 people read the last chapter three reviews isn't that much. **

**Only one of the reviewers gave her opinion about the wolf pack issue... so, one more time:  
Wolf pack: Yes/No?  
If yes: entire wolf pack or just one member (or a couple of members). Let me know please!**

**This chapter is Jasper and Melody POV. Hope you like at! **

**~I only own the characters that came out of my own head, the rest belongs to Stephenie Meyer~ **

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**Jasper POV**

Forks, Washington… I had tried to find a good description for this town but all I had come up with in the past year and a half was wet. The weather in this town was the same every day. Rain, rain and even more rain. I never thought there would be a place where it rained more than Scotland but I guess I was wrong. In Scotland the sun hardly ever showed itself but it didn't always rain. In Forks the sun wasn't visible and it always rained.

Even though the rain was never ending Esme was happier than I had ever seen her. Apparently this was the first town Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett had lived together as a family and it held a lot of memories for Esme. Carlisle had made a promise to her that they would return to Forks every couple of decades which was why we were here now.

As Esme wanted to live here for a while she had decided that all of us would enter high school. Alice, Edward and Melody had started in the freshman year and Rosalie, Emmett and I had started in the sophomore year. Melody had been thrilled that she would be attending school with all of us as this was the first time this happened. Edward and I being teachers at her previous school wasn't the same to her as being students together.

One thing I did like about Forks was the house we now lived in. It was located in a forest and quite far away from the town so that we could hunt without having to worry about running into humans. The house itself was entirely white and had a lot of windows which meant a lot of light in the house itself. The back of the house was entirely made of glass and looked out over the backyard and the river which separated the yard from the rest of the forest. My room and study were on the third floor of the house and Melody's room was next to mine. Edward's room was next to Melody's bathroom, at the end of the third floor hallway. The others had their rooms on the second floor and before we all moved in Esme made Rosalie and Emmett promise not to break their room in this house.

'Mister Hale… Mister Hale!' I snapped out of my thoughts and looked to the front of the classroom to see my teacher looking at me as if she wanted to kill me for daydreaming in her class. Well maybe not kill me but she was definitely annoyed by my behaviour. I send her a calming wave and smiled slightly to get her to relax. It worked as it always did and she continued the lesson. When the bell rang I was relieved that I had survived another week of school. Feeling the emotions of all these teenagers at the same time could seriously drive someone crazy.

I walked to my locker, dumped my books in it and walked towards the school exit where I waited for the rest of my family. Alice was the first to arrive but as always she just said goodbye and went to her own car. None of us knew where she went after school but when she would come home late at night I could always smell someone else on her. The smell was vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it. Alice looked very happy every time she came back and as I trust her I also trusted that whoever she was with probably wasn't a thread to any of us.

The thing that bothered me the most of all was that some sort of invisible barrier had been build between Melody and me in the past couple of months. We still had our link and I could still feel her emotions and talk to her wherever she was but she avoided me physically. She never stayed in the same room as me when everyone else was gone and when I asked something she would just give me a very short reply before continuing whatever she was doing at that time. I had tried asking both Esme and Rosalie about it but they both told me that Mel would come to me when she was ready. I hated the distance that was between us now because it felt like some part of me was missing. I had never felt anything like this before and it made me a bit anxious.

Edward arrived then and he was feeling so annoyed that I actually forgot about my own problems for the moment. 'What happened to you?' I asked while trying to hide my grin and failing horribly at it. 'All the damn males of this school have already started fantasizing about the daughter of chief Swan.' Edward fumed when he was standing next to me. So that was why I had felt the lust of all the male teenagers increase today. After this weekend the chief's seventeen year old daughter would start living with him and of course she would attend school.

'So you've been watching sad little teenage fantasies about a girl they've never seen before? It must suck to be you Eddie.' Rosalie said as she and Emmett came walking towards us. 'Don't call me Eddie.' Edward growled too low and fast for any passing humans to hear. Rose flicked her hair and ignored Edward's growl as Melody came walking towards us. She greeted Rosalie and Emmett enthusiastically and ignored Edward and me completely. 'Jasper… why is it that I feel like hitting something hard and start crying?' Emmett asked. Crap, I was projecting again without realising it. I reined my power in and saw everyone around me relax.

We walked towards Edward's car in silence and got in. I was sitting in the back with Rosalie in the middle and Melody on her other side. Emmett got in the front passenger's seat and turned the volume of the radio up when Edward had started the engine. I looked to my side and saw Melody and Rose looking at each other intently and I knew they were having a silent conversation. I could feel embarrassment, concern and sadness coming from Melody and was frustrated that she wouldn't tell me why she felt this way. I was also feeling extremely jealous towards Rosalie as she was the one who knew Melody's secret. She would talk to anyone, even Mike Newton, except for me. 'Dude, rein it in already. I don't have to feel jealous along with you.' Emmett called over the music.

Damn, I was really losing control of my gift a lot lately. I could see Melody look at me questioningly before a bit of happiness joined her emotions. Rosalie was feeling smug about something but at the moment I didn't really care. Melody felt happy when she had looked at me which made me feel better than I had in a long while. 'What are you grinning at?' Rosalie asked. Her smugness increased as if she already knew the answer. 'Nothing, just glad Melody is feeling a bit happier than a few minutes ago.' I said with a shrug. I could tell she didn't believe me but that wasn't what bothered me. The thing that bothered me the most was that I couldn't convince myself with the explanation I had given Rosalie.

When we got home Emmett and Rosalie decided to go for a run and Edward went to his room. Melody sat down at the dining room table and started doing the small bit of homework she hadn't been able to finish at school which left me in the living room. I was thinking about what I could do when the answer came home a second later. Carlisle came home after a long shift at the hospital and I made a split decision to talk to him about my problem with Melody. 'Can we talk upstairs please?' I asked when Carlisle had put his coat away. 'Sure son, what about?' Carlisle asked as he took his shoes off. Esme had threatened to kill anyone who would bring mud into her house so the rule to leave shoes at the door was taken very seriously by everyone. 'About… about Melody.' I whispered as I didn't want her to know that I was having problems.

'Of course, shall we go to my study?' Carlisle asked. I nodded and we both walked in silence to Carlisle's study on the second floor of the house. Carlisle sat down behind his desk as I closed the door behind me. I looked around the study and even though we hadn't lived here that long yet it still felt familiar as the study looked about the same wherever we lived. Different paintings and drawings decorated about half of the walls while the other half was decorated with books. I felt myself relax a bit just by looking at the familiar decorations.

I sat down opposite Carlisle but didn't say anything as I didn't really know where to start. 'You wanted to talk about Melody. What is bothering you exactly?' Carlisle asked after a minute of silence. He didn't ask it in an impatient way or even in a curious way. He was asking it in a way only he could, a fatherly way. I took a deep breath and decided to just say everything that was bothering me. 'Melody has become very distant with me over the past couple of months and I don't know why. She is talking to Rosalie about it and sometimes to Esme but that's it. I have no idea what's wrong with her and so I can't help her.' I said at top speed. Lucky for me my surrogate father was a vampire and could understand everything I said perfectly.

He stayed quiet for a few seconds and looked at me as if expecting I was going to say more. When I stayed quiet he sighed and leaned back in his chair. 'I believe Melody will come to you when she's ready. You have to remember that even though she is smarter than anyone of her age I have ever met she is still a seventeen year old girl. She might have a problem she only wants to talk about to another woman.' Carlisle explained.

I didn't reply and instead thought about what Carlisle had just said. It was true that as a teenage girl, Melody might have some things she didn't want to talk to me about. Maybe I was just feeling bad and jealous because I wasn't used to her keeping secrets from me. Yes, that had to be it. 'Isn't there anything else you want to talk to me about?' Carlisle asked. I looked up at him and wondered why he asked that. I had already told him everything I wanted to and had gotten the answer that I was looking for. 'No thanks Carlisle. I just wanted to have your opinion about this one matter.' I said. 'Are you sure?'

I gave Carlisle a confused look which made him sigh and shake his head. He was feeling a bit disappointed and I couldn't help but question him about it. 'Why are you feeling disappointed Carlisle?' 'I just thought that with you being the empath you would know your own feelings best.' Carlisle said. My own feelings? What did he mean by that? Of course I knew my own feelings. I was worried about Melody that was all. Carlisle sighed and I could feel his disappointment grow. Before I could ask why Carlisle already answered me. 'I wonder if your worry and jealousy― 'Who told you I was jealous?' I asked. 'You've been projecting quite a lot these past few weeks and jealousy was one of the most common emotions coming from you whenever Melody was talking about guys in her class.' Carlisle chuckled.

'I was just looking out for Melody as she is my baby sister.' I defended myself. 'Are you trying to convince me or yourself?' Carlisle asked. When I didn't say anything to his comment Carlisle continued. 'Let me ask you something else. What do you see, think and feel when you look at Melody?' he asked. 'Easy, I see a beautiful young woman who looks like an angel especially when she has her wings out. I think that I'm really happy that I had made the decision to save her when I found her all those years ago and I feel that I would die if anything were to happen to her.' I said without thinking about it.

A grin appeared on Carlisle's face then I could feel that he was finally pleased with my answer. 'I'll tell you a little secret. Apart from the wings, I see, think and feel the same when I look at Esme and the same goes for Emmett when he looks at Rosalie.' 'But… no… it's not the same… Esme is your soulmate… I found Melody when she was a baby and― 'and she grew up and became a beautiful young woman who looks like an angel as you yourself just described.' Carlisle said.

My mind was racing now. Melody, the small baby girl I had found in the forest seventeen years ago, was a young woman now. I had just said so myself but it was still weird to think about. I had felt a pull from her the moment I saw her lying on the forest floor which had been the reason I picked her up to begin with. She had been the centre of my existence ever since and now, in a matter of seconds, she had become my reason for living. Carlisle had a way of making you admit things you never even knew you felt or thought. I had seen him do it to Emmett, Rosalie, Esme and even to Edward and now he had done it to me.

I could feel Carlisle's amusement as I was thinking things through in my head. It was the same amusement I had felt from him when he did this with the others. I could also tell he already knew I had found the answer and he was now waiting for me to admit it out loud. I took a deep breath and looked at my father figure. 'I love Melody.' I whispered. 'Not as a sibling but as more than that.' I said a bit louder. Carlisle got up and clapped me on my shoulder. 'I knew you would figure it out.' He said. I nodded but stayed quiet as a thought entered my head all of a sudden. How did Melody feel about me?

**Melody POV**

I was doing the small amount of homework I hadn't been able to do at school when I felt a change in Jasper's emotions through our link. Normally I couldn't feel this but for the last couple of months Jasper had been unable to stay entirely in control of his gift. His emotions had been conflicted as if he had been trying to deny what he was feeling. Right now his emotions were clear and calm which could only mean he had made a decision or come to a conclusion about something.

I knew I was right when Jasper came downstairs with a smile on his face. He hadn't smiled like that in quite some time and I was glad he felt better. 'Mel, I'm going for a run. Do you want to come with me?' Jasper asked casually. I quickly turned towards my homework again and pretended to be concentrating on a math problem. I heard Jasper sigh and I could feel his disappointment though he quickly reined it in; he was taking control of his gift again. Before I could turn around to say something, anything, the door opened and closed and Jasper was gone.

After fifteen minutes I slammed my math book shut and leaned my head on the table. I hadn't been able to concentrate since Jasper left and the only thing I was thinking about was that I had disappointed him. 'What's wrong little sis.' Emmett boomed behind me. I shot up from the table and stared at my big brother. How the hell had he been able to sneak up on me? My hearing was as good as anyone else in this house. Maybe I had dosed off… that could be.

'You're really distracted aren't you?' Emmett said with a happy smile on his face. 'It's none of your business Em.' I grumbled as I started putting my books in my bag. 'Mel… do you want to talk?' I turned around to see my favourite sister standing in the doorway. 'Yes Rose, I could use that.' I said.

I left my bag on the dining room table and went outside with Rosalie. 'Let's go to some place where no one can eavesdrop.' Rose said and I knew she was talking about Emmett. She winked at me and dashed off into the forest. I quickly followed but got bored with running pretty soon. _Rose, I'm going to follow you through the air._ I said while I jumped up. Once I was above the trees I unfolded my wings and launched myself after Rosalie.

My sister led me to the large clearing we normally played baseball and sat down on a boulder formation which was situated on the edge of the field. I landed neatly on the boulder next to Rose and folded my wings on my back. 'So, what's bothering you? 'Rose asked casually. 'You know what's bothering me. The same thing that has been bothering me for the past couple of months.' I sighed, hanging my head on my knees.

Rose chuckled and put her arm around my shoulders. 'Mel, have you ever tried to just tell him how you feel?' she asked. My head snapped up and I shook my head frantically. 'No way, I could never do that. He found me as a baby! He only sees me as his little sister and he'll never see me as anything else. I mean, he's over a hundred years older than me.' I wanted to continue rambling but Rose put her hand over my mouth, effectively stopping the flow of words. 'You have to tell him― 'No!' I yelled before I could stop myself. I took a deep breath and motioned for Rose to continue.

'Like I said, you have to tell him at some point. You two have been really close ever since he found you and, even though I had my doubts, he never tried to hurt you. I have seen my brother grow in ways I never thought he could. He has gotten complete control over his bloodlust and he has been happier since he found you than he ever was before.' 'What does this have to do with me making a fool of myself by telling him how I feel?' I grumbled. 'Jasper always has his shield up, even though he is comfortable with all of us, but when he's with you it's different. When he's with you his shield seems to disappear completely and he looks totally relaxed.' I opened my mouth to say something again but Rose continued. 'One thing has changed over the past couple of months. He used to look at you with pride and brotherly love but nowadays I see him look at you like Emmett looks at me and Carlisle looks at Esme.' Rose said.

I opened and closed my mouth several times, unable to say anything. 'Now you have the opportunity to say something and all I see is a mouth opening and closing. You look like a fish Mel.' Rosalie said. I quickly shut my mouth and kept it that way, trying to figure out what I wanted to say. 'Well at least you don't look like a fish now but this isn't getting us much further either.' Rose teased. 'I… I just don't know what to say.' I muttered. I could feel a blush creep onto my face but for once I didn't try to hide it. Rose had just said that Jasper loved me. Okay, she hadn't said it with those exact words but that is what she meant… right? 'Rose… when you say Jasper looks at me like Emmett looks at you… you do mean…' 'Yes, I mean that he loves you.' Rosalie confirmed.

At Rosalie's words my heart soared. I felt like I could conquer the world without even trying. 'Melody… earth to Melody! I get that you're happy but I don't think we'll be able to talk normally if you fly any higher.' Rose called. I snapped out of my daze and looked down to see that I had subconsciously flown upwards. Rosalie was grinning at me from her spot on the rock formation when I came floating down again. 'Sorry.' I mumbled. 'That's okay. If I were you I would probably do the same thing.'

Rosalie hugged me tight but let go quickly and looked to the other side of the clearing. I followed her gaze as I heard someone approaching at vampire speed though he was slowing down now. A second later I recognized the running as Jasper's. 'I guess this is my cue to go.' Rose sighed. 'Tell me everything afterwards.' 'I wouldn't dream of not letting my favourite sister know.' I giggled. Rosalie winked at me, shot one last glance in the direction Jasper was coming from and ran into the forest behind the rock formation and out of sight.

A few seconds later Jasper appeared at the forest edge with a determined look on his face. He walked across the field slowly and as he came closer his face changed to a happier one. 'You look happy.' I commented when he was only a few feet away. 'Yeah, I had some good advice today and after that I had a run to think everything through.' Jasper replied casually while sitting down next to me. 'So… did you come to a conclusion while you were running? It seems to me that whatever has been bothering you these last couple of months have gone away.' I said, trying to sound as aloof as possible.

'Yep, I have. Though I'm not proud of the way I have achieved this. As an expert on the subject I should have been able to figure this out by myself but in the end Carlisle was the one to make me see what I was suppressing.' He said all this without looking at me once. Instead he looked up at the sky and I couldn't help but think about how handsome he looked right now. I quickly looked down as I noticed I was staring and shuffled my feet nervously. 'So… uhm… what was it that you were suppressing?' I asked, feeling a blush come to my face.

Jasper kept quiet for a few seconds though I did hear his head turn towards me. I kept my eyes on my feet as I was too embarrassed to look at him. I knew that, whatever answer he would give me; it would be my turn to talk. Rose told me that my feelings would be answered but what if she was wrong? I couldn't risk that. 'Mel… Melody… would you please look at me?' Jasper asked softly. I took a deep breath, steadied my feet and slowly turned my head to meet his eyes. 'The thing I was suppressing was what I feel for you Mel.'

Did he really just say that? He did, didn't he? I just sat there staring at Jasper, not able to say anything. 'Mel, you're supposed to react to this you know.' Jasper chuckled. I shook my head sharply to get rid of the daze I was in and looked down at my feet again. 'It's okay if you don't feel the same but I just wanted you to know.' Jasper said quickly but I could hear the disappointment in his voice. I knew I had to say something but my mind was still racing. 'I'll see you at home… I'm sorry.'

My head snapped up at Jasper's words and before he could get more than one step away from me I grabbed his arm. 'No… please stay.' I whispered as I pressed my forehead against his back. 'I'm sorry… I just… I didn't want to believe Rose when she told me how you feel about me.' I took a deep breath to steady my voice before continuing. 'The past couple of months things changed between us and I thought it was my fault. I had started to develop feelings for you other than normal sibling love. I was scared because I didn't want anything to change but I did just that. I pulled away from you and… I'm so―'

Jasper spun around at full speed and before I could finish my sentence he pressed his lips to mine. The feelings that surged through me at that moment was something I had never felt before. All the love I had tried to suppress became the most dominant emotion in my body and an electric current went from head to toe. I pressed myself closer to Jasper and kissed him back; wanting him to feel how much I loved him. He wound his arms around my waist and pulled me closer while I slipped my arms around his neck and entangled my fingers in his hair.

It felt like the kiss lasted forever but all too soon Jasper pulled back and put his forehead on mine. 'I love you.' I whispered softly. 'I love you too and I'll never let you go.' Jasper whispered back and placed a kiss on my forehead. I took my arms from behind his neck and leaned back to look into his eyes. They were bright and shining and all I could see in them was pure love. I was sure he could see the same in my eyes and I couldn't believe how happy I felt. Jasper was mine and I would never let him go.

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**The more reviews, the faster the next chapter will be up :)**

**~Marieke~**


	24. The new girl

**I have good news (for you guys) and bad news (for me). **

**The bad news is that I've got the flu... which means hanging on the couch and drinking lots of tea. The good news is that I had lots of time to write this chapter and update in record time :)**

**I want to thank the three who reviewed the chapter I posted yesterday and of course I hope more of you will also review that chapter and of course this one!**

**I'm almost to a 100 reviews so I think it could be possible to reach that number before I update again :)**

**In this chapter it's finally Bella's time so her POV, Jasper's POV and Edward's POV. **

**Enjoy! ^_^**

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**Bella POV**

Breathe Bella breathe. I kept telling myself this the entire ride to school. The Chevy my dad had given me was thankfully working just fine but it did make too much noise. It was really hard to hear anything that happened outside of the truck which made me anxious. I was used to it being entirely quiet around me so that I could hear if anyone came near me.

I arrived at school way too early and decided to wait in my truck with all the doors closed until at least one other student would arrive. I knew I was only kidding myself with the locked doors. If the ones I was running from would find me, no lock would stop them. I shuddered at the memories that raced through my mind and rubbed the scar on my hand automatically. The scar was a reminder of the reason I had come to Forks in the first place.

As more students started to arrive I relaxed and got out of my truck. I looked down and walked as fast as I could to the main building where the reception would probably be, but I could still feel people looking at me. Going unnoticed in a school this small just wasn't possible. The reception was at the first door on the right and I was relieved when I was finally there. A red-haired woman looked up from some papers and greeted me with a friendly smile. 'Hi there, can I help you with anything?' she asked nicely. 'Uhm yes. I'm Isabella Swan and I'm new to this school― 'Ah yes, chief Swan's daughter. Well, welcome to Forks high.' She said. She then looked through some papers and handed me one of them. 'You will have to give this slip to every one of your teachers and have them sign it. At the end of the school day you can hand the slip back to me.' She then handed me another piece of paper. 'This will be your schedule for the whole week. If you have trouble finding the classrooms I have a map for you which will probably make things easier.' 'No thank you, I think I can find the rooms on my own.' I said quickly before she could hand me the map.

My first class would be English from Mister Mason in building three. Of course building three wasn't accessible through the main building so I once again made my way outside and into the rain. The parking lot had gotten a lot busier while I had been inside. There were a lot of normal budget cars and only two fancy looking cars, a silver Volvo and a bright yellow Porsche. I didn't take my time to look at them as the rain was really starting to bother me so I went to building three quickly. The Volvo and Porsche would probably belong to some rich kids whose father had thought that living in a small town would be better for his child.

Mister Mason greeted me with a slight smile, took the slip from me and told me to sit down in the back of the class on the window side. I quickly complied and sat down, not really wanting to introduce myself to the whole class. 'Isabella Swan?' I looked up to see a typical chess club president guy standing next to me. 'I'm Eric.' Chess club guy said and extended his hand for me to shake. I decided to ignore his hand and instead just introduced myself politely as Bella Swan. 'So you prefer Bella? Okay, I'll remember that. Did you know― 'Eric, stop annoying the new girl.' Someone said from behind chess club Eric.

I looked around my overly enthusiastic classmate to be met by someone who could be a model. This girl was about my height but that was all I could compare. She had long dark red hair with curls which came down to her waist in gorgeous waves. Her eyes were just a bit darker than mine and her skin looked flawless. She had all the curves a woman needed in exactly the right places and proportions. Next to her I looked like the dullest wall flower you could find.

Eric muttered something about finding his seat and walked away as fast as he could without falling. 'Sorry about that.' The model girl said. 'Eric does that to new girls. I was his victim last year.' The girl chuckled, probably at the memory, and it sounded like bells. Okay, that was it, this girl was perfect. 'I'm Melody Cullen by the way.' The girl said. She didn't extend her had to me like Eric had but I wasn't bothered by it. 'Bella Swan.' I said once again. I sighed at the thought of having to introduce myself all day but I guess that was the price I had to pay for moving here.

I started rubbing my scar absentmindedly and wanted to ask Melody something when she beat me to it. 'What's that you're rubbing?' she asked. 'Oh, nothing. Just an old scar.' I shrugged and folded my arms so that my scar was hidden again. 'I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable with my question.' Melody said. I shook my head, 'it's okay, don't worry about it.' I managed to give her a reassuring smile and before she could say anything in return Mister Mason told everyone to sit down. Melody went to sit two seats in front of me next to a boy with pale blond hair.

During the entire lesson I saw the pale blond boy glance backwards at me but I just ignored him. Every now and then the model girl, whose name I had forgotten halfway through the lesson, would nudge the boy which made him turn back to his work. When the bell rang to signal the end of class I grabbed my book and tried to make my way out of the room before anyone could stop me. Of course I wasn't fast enough and the blond boy caught up with me before I could escape.

'You're― 'Bella Swan.' I said before he could call me Isabella. 'Mike Newton.' The boy said. 'Do you want me to walk you to your next class? I mean you're new so it might be hard to find the way.' He kept on babbling but I tuned him out and started walking out of the classroom. The moment I grabbed my schedule to see what my next class was Mike took it from me. 'Ah yes, trig. That's this way.' He said and started walking towards another room. Damn, this boy was like the dog I never wanted.

Trig wasn't really bad as I had already done this in Phoenix. An extremely hyperactive girl was sitting next to me and was happily babbling about all the people in our class. She had introduced herself to me but I wasn't good with names so I had forgotten it again. I didn't pay much attention to what gossip-girl was saying and instead doodled in my notebook until the end of the lesson. When the bell rang gossip-girl kept chattering next to me as we walked into the cafeteria. I was surprised that she kept on chattering all the way through the lunch line as I didn't expect there to be so much gossip in such a small school.

We sat down at a crowded table which included chess club-guy and dog-boy. Gossip-girl soon started annoying others with her story which gave me the opportunity to look around the cafeteria. I was used to seeing groups of people who had the same interests like a table of cheerleaders and a table of whiz kids. What I saw in this school was just people sitting at different tables but no status quo to speak of. I guess it was one of the positive things about a small school. At least I didn't have to worry about not being able to fit into a group as there didn't seem to be any groups.

I was about to take a bite from my apple when the one thing I had not expected to see here walked into the cafeteria, a vampire. This one was small with spiky hair and moved as if she was dancing. The thing I noticed the most were her eyes. They were not the red I had seen before but instead they were golden. I didn't know what this meant but I didn't really want to find out.

The small vampire picked some food and danced to a table at the far side of the cafeteria. She then waved at the door and my head snapped back to see even more vampires enter the room. A broad, bear type one and a model like blond one both picked some food and walked over to sit with the small one. Three vampires going to high school, things couldn't get weirder than this. Of course, I was wrong. A fourth vampire walked in and this one looked like a Greek god. He had bronze coloured, tousled hair and golden eyes like the other three.

'Who are they?' I asked Jessica, whose name I had just remembered. 'Who, them? Those are the Cullens.' Jessica said, sounding a bit bitter. Cullen… I had heard that name before today. 'The tiny one is Alice Cullen, the big one Emmett Cullen and the bronze haired one is Edward Cullen.' I noticed that Jessica said Edward's name with a lot of bitterness in her voice and I guessed that she had asked him out without success. 'And the blond one?' 'The blond is Rosalie Hale and,' she looked around the cafeteria for something, 'that is Jasper Hale, Rosalie's twin, with Melody Cullen. Oh my god! Jasper and Melody are holding hands. I did not know they were dating! Lauren did you―' I tuned the rest out as I watched Melody walk hand in hand with a vampire. She looked happy and was laughing at something he had said.

I couldn't wrap my head around it. Five vampires attending school and one of them was dating a human? That just wasn't possible. And what was with the golden eyes? I know I had only met three vampires in my life but they all had blood red eyes. I was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or the other, though I wasn't sure if I could conquer my fear to accomplish this.

**Jasper POV**

I still couldn't believe Melody loved me. It had felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders the moment I confessed. Melody answering my feelings was like the cherry on the cake that was my life. We had been together for the rest of the weekend and I only reluctantly let go of her hand this morning when the bell rang. I had waited impatiently for the bell to signal the start of the lunch hour and when it finally rang I raced as fast as I could in a school full of humans to Melody's classroom.

'How was class?' I asked as Melody came towards me. 'It was okay I guess though it wasn't really new to me.' Melody shrugged. I took her bag from her and offered my hand which she took with a smile. The moment our hands touched I felt whole and I knew she was feeling the same. We walked to the cafeteria in a comfortable silence. 'Rose tells me we don't need food as they already bought some.' Melody said. I nodded but stiffened as we approached the cafeteria. 'What's wrong?' Melody asked concerned. 'It's just the lust coming from the boys in the cafeteria.' I growled.

Melody giggled and pulled me into the room which was filled with lustful teenagers. I located the source of the problem in an instant. At one of the tables sat the new girl, Isabella Swan, and most of the lust was directed at her. 'I really hope this lust thing passes quickly because if this keeps up I might not be able to restrain myself around you, Mel.' I whispered. Melody laughed at this as we kept walking towards our family.

'You look really annoyed Jasper, something wrong?' Rosalie asked innocently though her eyes told me she knew perfectly well what was bothering me. 'Bite me, Rose.' I hissed. I sat down and pulled Melody on my lap. Emmett gave her a cheese sandwich which she started eating in silence though her mind was anything but silent. _About the new girl… She has a bite on her right hand._ Melody said while taking another bite of her food. 'Rose could you pass me that coke?' she asked out loud while showing me the bite she had seen on the Swan girl's hand earlier. _We'd better keep an eye on her. She has obviously run into vampires before so there's a chance that she knows what we are._ I mused.

'Edward, what can you read in the thoughts of the Swan girl?' I asked in a whisper so that the humans around us wouldn't hear. To my surprise Edward's annoyance increased at my question. 'I can't read a damn thing from her.' He growled while glaring at the Swan girl. 'You shouldn't glare at her like that. I don't think it will help.' Melody said. Edward turned towards Melody and hissed. 'I did not ask for your opinion.' He spat. 'Watch it.' I warned, putting my arms protectively around Melody. Edward looked from me to Melody to the Swan girl before sighing in frustration, 'Fine, whatever. I'm out of here.' He grumbled something else but it was unintelligible, even for vampire ears.

'I recognise the new girl.' Alice said all of a sudden. 'What do you mean Alice?' Rosalie asked. I could feel Rose her curiosity increase but there was also a bit of hostility. 'I saw her in one of my visions. I don't know how or when but I believe that she will be part of our family someday.' Alice said with confidence. 'Great… an actual human in the family.' Rosalie huffed. 'You were all too happy to accept Melody when we still thought she was human.' Alice said. 'Well… she was different. She was a baby with no family who we could tell our secret in time and teach her to keep it a secret, but this human could talk to anyone about us.' Rosalie stated. Before Alice could reply Rosalie picked up her tray and walked out of the room. 'I guess I'd better follow her.' Emmett sighed and he walked after Rose.

'I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on Bella.' Melody said while sipping her coke. 'Alice do you have some classes with her?' I asked. 'I haven't had any yet but it's only the beginning of the week so I guess I'll find out.' Alice replied. As Melody would be part of this watch plan Alice would have to do this without her visions but she didn't seem too annoyed by it. 'I at least have English with her and maybe some other subjects as well. I could try to be her friend, though I doubt she would want that if she knows what you all are.' 'You might be right, Mel.' I sighed as I put my head on her shoulder.

A wave of fear and anger hit me hard then and my head snapped up to locate the source of these emotions. It wasn't surprising that the source of the emotions was the Swan girl. She was looking in shock at Melody and me and as I looked at her, her anger became less and her fear increased. Melody had been right about her knowing what we are. I quickly turned my head away from the girl and pretended to look out the window instead. _I'm sure she knows what we are._ I told Melody. Melody nodded but didn't reply.

At the end of the lunch break Alice said goodbye and danced off to English while I walked Melody to her gym class. 'I have a feeling the Swan girl has gym now as well.' I muttered to Melody as we neared the changing rooms. 'How can you tell? She's not behind us and there are too many people to hear her coming.' Melody said a bit confused. 'Her fear is coming closer and closer and the only things here are the changing rooms so it's a logical conclusion.' I explained. A few seconds later my suspicions were confirmed as the Swan girl appeared in the hallway and was walking towards us. 'I guess I'd better go otherwise she won't dare come much closer.' I chuckled. 'So not funny, Jasper.' Melody said, trying to sound stern but she failed as a smile appeared on her face.

I gave her a quick kiss as the second bell rang and walked back down the hallway and towards my class. When I came close to the Swan girl her fear increased and she tried to put as much distance between us as she could in the narrow hallway. As I just kept walking the girl relaxed a bit as she kept walking to the gym.

My next class was history and seeing as I lived through most of the history that was being taught at high school I didn't pay much attention. Instead I decided to contact Melody to see how the new student was doing. _How is the new girl doing?_ I asked. _I'm getting the feeling she really wants to talk to me but doesn't know how to approach me. _Melody replied. _Ah great, the lesson's going to start so I'll have to wait until after class to talk to her._ Melody sighed. She remained silent for the remainder of the hour which meant the only thing for me to do was listen to the history teacher while writing down all the facts he had wrong.

**Edward POV**

Finally, the last class of the day. I was getting sick and tired of the entire male population fantasizing about Isabella Swan. My last class was biology which was always a relaxed way to end the day. On my way to class I saw Bella, as she preferred to be called, come out of gym and quickly walk towards the lockers. Melody appeared a second later and let out a defeated sigh. My curiosity got the best of me then and I walked towards her. 'What happened to you? Got beaten in gym class?' I chuckled. Melody huffed in an annoyed way before answering. 'No, I tried to talk to Bella after class as she had been conflicted about whether or not to talk to me but in the end she quickly dashed out of the changing room.' I suppressed a chuckle which tried to escape at Melody's annoyance. My relationship with Melody was still far from friendly but we accepted one another which was good enough for now.

Melody flipped her hair back over her shoulder and put her bag on her back. 'I have to go to my next class, see you later Eddie.' She said in an extremely annoying girly voice. I hissed at my hated nickname but as we were in a school full of humans I couldn't do anything. Come to think of it, doing anything to Melody would only get me into a fight with Jasper. This girl really was a pain but at least she never exposed us, though the threat that Zackary had posed to us twice by now was something completely different.

I made my way to Biology and was one of the last to arrive. I sat down at my table and prepared myself for another hour of boredom. The teacher, Mister Banner, handed out the assignment for today and I was about to start when the classroom door opened. I glanced up to see the girl everyone had been fantasizing about all day walk into the room. She gave a piece of paper to the teacher after which he told her to sit next to me. This was inevitable as the seat next to me was the only open one. Bella turned her head in the direction Mister Banner was pointing at and I saw the colour drain from her face.

'Go on Miss Swan, the lesson has already started.' Mister Banner whispered a bit impatient to Bella. Bella muttered an apology before making her way towards the empty table. She sat down as quietly as possible for a human and quickly let her hair fall over her shoulder so that her face was hidden from me. I took a deep breath as a preparation to say something to her but I never got that far. When I inhaled, her scent hit me hard and venom filled my mouth. Her scent was something I had never smelled before, it was literally mouth-watering and I had to taste it.

How fast could I kill the rest of the class so that I could drain her in peace? And how long would it take for the others to know what I did? Could I get away in time? I was preparing to make my move when Bella put her right hand on her work and started rubbing a scar on her hand. I contemplated for less than a second what I wanted to do right now but my curiosity won and I looked closer to see what kind of scar it was.

What I saw shocked me. The scar on her hand could only have been made by one creature, a vampire. This girl had come in contact with vampires, had obviously been bitten and had survived it. I quickly stopped breathing completely, so that the intoxicating scent couldn't tempt me anymore, and raised my hand to grab Mister Banner's attention. One by one the other students turned their heads towards me, not used to me asking any question during class. 'Yes, Mister Cullen?' Mister Banner said. 'I don't feel so good so I would like to go home.' I stated. 'Uhm… well yes, of course. Hope you'll feel better soon.' Mister Banner replied a bit distracted. I nodded curtly and quickly packed my bag.

I quickly walked out of the classroom and into the hallway. When I closed the door I glanced at Bella and was surprised she was looking straight at me. I couldn't read her mind but her eyes said everything I needed to know. She was scared and confused as if she hadn't expected this reaction from me.

I closed the door and turned around to lean against it. This girl was a mystery with blood so sweet that it had been able to drive me insane in less than half a second. A wave of calm hit me then and my head snapped up to see Jasper and Melody approach me. 'Edward… are you in control?' Jasper asked cautiously. 'Yes… I am, but I have to get out of here now… I'm sorry.' I said softly. I walked over to Jasper and saw that he pushed Melody behind him and I couldn't blame him, my eyes were probably as black as coal from the thirst. 'I understand you being here but why is Melody with you?' I asked when I was standing in front of Jasper. 'Melody suggested that she might be able to pull you away from whoever made you this thirsty.' Jasper explained and even though I didn't like it, he had a fair point. Melody would be able to pull me away with her power faster than any of my other siblings could.

'I need to go for a run… to clear my head.' I said and pulled my car keys out of my pocket. 'Jasper, can you tell the others?' I asked as I handed him the keys. 'No problem. Do what you have to do and then come back.' Jasper said. I clapped him on the shoulder, nodded curtly to Melody and walked at a fast pace towards the building exit.

The moment I was outside I gulped in as much fresh air as I could. My head cleared considerably and I could finally think properly again. I could not believe what I had been thinking only a few minutes ago. I had been thinking of ways to murder an entire class and draining the daughter of the chief of police. Out here, in the fresh air, it all seemed like a bad dream but I knew this wasn't so. My vampire nature had come to the surface and I had to find a way to put it back in place if I ever wanted to go to school again.

I walked into the forest near the school at a human pace but the moment I knew I was out of sight I started running at full speed, not really caring where I went. I soon came across the scent of a herd of elk and I went after them, letting my instincts take over completely. After draining my fourth elk I finally felt full and started running back towards the house. The entire run home my mind was full of what happened today. The things that kept coming back most were Bella's face and the scar on her hand. Someone had attacked her and this made me feel angrier than I had ever felt before. I didn't understand why this made me so angry but of one thing I was sure, I wanted to help her and I would need to talk to my family to figure out how I could do that.

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**~Marieke~**


	25. Bella's story

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**Bella, Melody and Jasper POV**

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**Bella POV**

The day was finally to an end and I had to admit that this was the worst first school day of my life. Going to a school this small was bound to give me some attention as I was the new girl but I had counted on that. What I hadn't counted on was the fact that vampires were attending school here! It was insane; vampires shouldn't be able to be this close to humans without draining them. I had done enough research to know that much.

Then there was the vampire from Biology who had abruptly left class today. Was the scent of all the humans getting too much for him? His eyes had been as dark as coal as he looked at me from the door though I had only seen remorse in his eyes which was something I had never seen in the eyes of a vampire. The three I had met in Phoenix had something murderous in their eyes every time their eyes were black.

The other thing was that the eyes of the vampires here weren't the red I had seen before. These vampires had golden eyes en looked… more human. Not to mention that one of them was apparently dating a human. I had wanted to talk to the model girl, Melody, after gym but I chickened out. I mean, what was I supposed to say? 'He, I'm sorry to bother you, but did you know your boyfriend is a bloodsucking vampire?' It wasn't really something you said in between changing clothes after gym.

I sighed and opened the door to the reception to hand over the slip the teachers had signed. 'Oh hello dear, how was your first day?' The red-haired receptionist asked. 'It was fine, thank you.' I answered politely as I handed her the little piece of paper. Again I couldn't tell her what I really thought of this day. I mean saying it was a great day until I saw five vampires walk around would probably give me a one-way ticket to the closest mental home. 'I'm glad you had a good first day, dear. Well, see you tomorrow.' The woman said sweetly. I mumbled a thank you and quickly made my way out of the building and to my car.

When I was inside my truck with the doors locked I finally relaxed a little. The truck might not be vampire proof, but then again what was, but I did feel safe in it. I just sat there for a few minutes and watched other students say goodbye to each other and get into their respective cars. The fancy Volvo was still in the parking lot as was the yellow Porsche and I was wondering who owned them when the Cullen clan came out of the school and walked straight to the fancy cars. I shouldn't have been surprised by this as vampires probably had enough money to buy anything, but on the other hand they didn't really need cars. Vampires could run with immense speed so all these guys had to do was walk to the forest edge and start running.

I watched as the tiny one got into the yellow Porsche and pulled out of the parking lot. The others watched her go and I thought I saw the blond, model like one shake her head though I couldn't be sure as she did it quite fast. The guy who was dating Melody opened the silver Volvo and got into the driver's side while Melody sat beside him. The burly one and blond one got in the back and they drove away as well.

I let out a breath I hadn't even noticed I was holding and started my truck up. The loud noise it made startled me but it was less than this morning and I guessed I would get used to it soon enough. On my way home I went by the supermarket to get some ingredients for tonight's diner seeing as Charlie only had pizza in the freezer. I decided to make meatloaf as this would keep me busy for a while which meant no time to think about what I had seen today.

Charlie was still at the office so when I got home I put the groceries I didn't need yet in the fridge and started on the meatloaf. I was half way through it when the phone rang. 'Hello?' 'Bells, it's me.' Charlie said from the other end of the phone. 'I might be a bit late tonight… would you mind eating alone?' He asked. 'Sure dad, no problem. I'll leave you some in the fridge so you can heat it when you get home.' I answered. 'Thanks kid, I'm sorry.' Charlie said a bit awkward. 'It's okay dad, see you later tonight.' I said and hung up the phone.

When I was done with the meatloaf and it was in the oven I started on my homework. We hadn't gotten that much so I could take my time making it. I was halfway through my Biology assignment when the doorbell rang. I put my pen down and walked to the door. As I opened the door I expected to see the postman with parcel or something but instead there stood Melody Cullen. I just stood there, the door in my left hand and my mouth hanging open. Some part of my mind told me I looked ridiculous but I couldn't make myself to change position or close my mouth.

'Uhm… can I come in?' Melody asked tentatively. This snapped me out of my daze and helped me to close my mouth. 'Sure… c-come in.' Great, I was stuttering. A small smile appeared on Melody's face as she walked into the house. I shot a quick look outside to see if anyone else from the Cullen clan had come with her but if they had, I couldn't see them. 'I came alone so you don't have to look for any of my siblings.' Melody said from behind me. I quickly spun around to see that Melody had already sat down on the living room chair.

I closed the door behind me and fought the urge to lock it. I knew that a lock wouldn't stop any of Melody's _siblings_ from coming in but the human urge to lock the door against unwanted strangers still remained. 'C-can I get you anything?' I asked, hoping she would say yes so that I could go to the kitchen for at least a few seconds. 'Yes please, just some water would be nice.' Melody answered politely. 'Water, no problem.' I managed to say before bolting to the kitchen. I leaned on the counter and took a few deep breaths, trying to steady myself. I had to get a grip if I wanted to find out more about the vampires.

I quickly filled a glass with water and carefully walked back to the living room. 'Here you go.' I said as I handed her the glass and sat down on the couch. 'Thanks.' Melody quickly took two sips from her drink before placing it on the small table. 'So… What can I do for you?' I asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. 'I didn't really come here to ask for something.' Melody said quietly. 'Oh.' Was the extremely intelligent answer that came from my mouth. 'I thought that you might have some questions to ask me.' Melody continued. When I didn't react to that Melody sighed and turned towards me. 'I would have thought you had some questions about my vampire family, Bella.'

**Melody POV**

Bella just sat there without saying anything. Her eyes, however, said enough. She had not expected this and maybe she had thought I didn't even know about my family being vampires. I contemplated whether or not I should ask if she was alright but in the end I decided against it. It was probably better to let her get through this at her own pace. _How's it going?_ Jasper asked then. _Well… she's shocked that I know you are all vampires and is now staring at me as if I'm mentally ill. _I replied. _She's doing what?_ Jasper growled and I could feel he was getting angry.

That was one of the things that changed when we both finally admitted our feelings to each other. I was now able to feel Jasper's emotions through our link even when he wasn't projecting. I wasn't used to feeling some else's emotions and so had the tendency of letting them control me. This was great when we were together and happy as I only became happier. In times like these it wasn't that convenient. I could feel that Jasper's anger was affecting me and I didn't really know how to control this. _Jasper, calm down! I can feel your anger and it's affecting me. Bella just didn't expect me to be so direct about it all and is trying to figure out some things for herself. She doesn't actually think I'm mentally ill._ I said as fast as I could. Luckily it worked and I could feel Jasper's anger becoming less and less. _I guess I'll have to teach you to be an empath. _Jasper chuckled. _That might be a good idea._

'So… you know about… your family… being vampires?' Bella asked then. I turned my attention back to Bella and nodded slowly. 'Yes, you can't expect someone to live with vampires for almost seventeen years and not know what they are.' I chuckled, trying to make the subject seem lighter than it actually was. 'But… how did you survive all those years? Did they ever hurt you? Are they using you as a human pet?' Bella asked, sounding more frantic with each question that came out of her mouth.

'First take a breath because if you keep this up you'll faint from the lack of oxygen.' I told her sternly. Thankfully she listened and took a deep breath to calm herself. It seemed to work at least a tiny bit which was good enough for now. As Bella wouldn't get more relaxed than she was now I began my story. I told her about Jasper finding me and about what growing up with vampires was like. I told her about the diet my family had and about the fact that none of them had slipped up in the past seventeen years. The only things I left out were the fact that I wasn't human and everyone's personal past. If Alice was right, and Bella would somehow become part of our family, she would find out about everyone in due time, though I doubted that Rosalie would ever tell her story to Bella. The only ones she told her entire story to were dad, Emmett and me. The others only knew what happened to her but not who did it and how it had ended up that way. Even Edward didn't know as Rosalie kept that part of her past well hidden in the back of her mind.

When I was finished telling my story Bella's face showed only surprise and once again she said nothing. I waited patiently for her to process everything while I drank my water. 'So… you're not… their pet?' Bella asked in a whisper. 'No, I'm not their pet. Like I said, I'm the adoptive daughter of Carlisle and Esme and Jasper's girlfriend since last Friday.' I told her again. 'And Jasper found you as a baby in the forest?' I just nodded at this. 'Isn't it weird that he's your boyfriend now?' That was a question I hadn't expected. I would have thought Bella would want to know more about my family's diet or something else related to being vampires but this? No, I had not counted on this.

'Uhm… well… It was kind of hard to admit to the things we were feeling at first because of the fact Jasper had known me since I was a baby, but we've had a special bond from the beginning so the change of emotions wasn't that weird. Of course it was hard to admit my feelings as I didn't want to lose my best friend but it all worked out. ' I said after a few seconds of thinking. Bella nodded thoughtfully to this. 'Isn't it weird to kiss a vampire? As they are ice cold and all that?' Another unexpected question. 'No, it's not weird. Vampires might be ice cold but it doesn't bother me.' I told her.

'Can I ask you a question?' I asked quickly before Bella could ask anything else about my relationship with Jasper. 'Sure… what would you like to know?' Bella asked. I was glad to see she had relaxed a great deal since she opened the door. 'How did you get the scar on your hand?' I asked quietly. Bella immediately grabbed her right hand with her left and rubbed her scar. 'In Phoenix, where I come from, I was some sort of toy to three vampires. They had been following me one evening, initially to… kill me, but when they made their move I did something they hadn't expected, I tried to fight back. I hit the female of the group as hard as I could, as I thought she would be the weak link, and had thought that when she would double over in pain, I could run. Of course this didn't work and instead my hand got badly bruised. The leader of the group then thought it was fun to use me as a toy. If I did what they asked of me they wouldn't kill me.' Bella stopped here and I could see that there were tears in her eyes at the memories.

I placed my hand on hers and gave it an encouraging squeeze. Bella took a deep breath before continuing. 'They let me go for that night but the leader contacted me the very next day. He said that he would love a chase through the city that night and that I could use whatever I wanted to get away. He promised that, if I did well enough, he would let me live to see another day. That evening I ran to my mom's room and took her gun, which she kept for safety reasons, before heading out to play the game. I ran and dodged my attackers for an hour before they had me cornered in an alley. All three of them were smirking and that was the first time I realised that their eyes were red. I had been too afraid to look at them the night before and therefore this small detail about their appearance had eluded me. I took the gun from my pocket and aimed it at the leader yelling that I would shoot if he didn't go away. The leader started laughing at this and I lost it, I shot.'

By now Bella was shaking and I quickly sat down next to her. I put my arm around her and rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. _Jasper… can you come over here? Just stay in the forest and try to calm Bella… please. _I asked. _I'm on my way._ I sighed in relief as I knew Jasper could help Bella calm down better than I ever could. A few seconds later I felt Bella relax considerably and I could sense Jasper in the forest behind the house. 'Can you continue?' I asked Bella whose breathing was once again normal. 'Yes… thanks.' Bella said.

'When I shot I was instantly afraid that I might have killed someone but of course the bullet didn't do any damage. The leader just stood there, watching me with a murderous glint in his red eyes. A second later he was right in front of me, holding my gun and glaring down at me. It was then that he told me he and his two friends were vampires. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen the red eyes, the speed or the fact that the bullet had no effect whatsoever. He then told me he had to make me pay for pulling such a stunt on him and before I knew what he was doing he bit my hand. It hurt like hell and my entire hand started to burn like crazy. He then put his mouth over the wound again and sucked at it until the burning was gone again.'

Bella took another breath but before she could start shaking she calmed down again. 'I don't really remember what happened next as I fainted. I woke up in my bed with a note next to me on my pillow. It said that the game would resume tonight and that no weapons were aloud. The games continued in the same way for about a week but after that the leader had gotten a bit bored with it mostly because I wasn't as "good" as I was before. That's when he started threatening my mother to motivate me. He said that if I didn't do my best he would come to get my mom. I panicked and didn't know how to get out of this but then my mother came with the solution herself. She wanted to travel with her husband Phil and was wondering whether I would like to come along. I quickly convinced her I would be better off with Charlie in Forks and she reluctantly agreed.' Bella finished her story and I could see that a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. She probably never had the opportunity to talk to anyone about this.

'You've had that scar ever since that guy bit you… it must be hard to be reminded of that every day.' I said softly. 'It hurts from time to time but I can't dwell on what has happened as I can't change the past. I came here by plane so that the vampires can't track my scent. Apparently I also have the ability to shield myself from mental gifts. The leader of the little group had the gift to track people but with me he had no such luck. I thought I was pretty safe here until I saw your family walk into the cafeteria.' Bella said. 'You don't have to worry about my family, Bella. As I said they don't drink from humans for which their golden eyes are proof.' I reassured her.

We were quiet after that but it wasn't like the uncomfortable silence when I had just entered the house. 'Bella… would you like to meet Jasper?' I asked after a while. Bella's head snapped up and I could see fear in her eyes. 'You don't have to if you don't want to.' I told her quickly. Bella shook her head, 'No… it's just that… the only vampires I met wanted to use me as a hunting toy…' She trailed off here but I knew what she meant. 'Let's meet outside then. Jasper will stay as far away as you want and we will go from there.' I suggested. Bella thought about this for a moment but agreed to it in the end. She showed me to the phone and I called Jasper's cell. Normally I never used this number as I could just contact him through our link but as Bella didn't know about this yet I had no choice but to call him in a normal way. He agreed to meet us in front of the house in a few seconds. I took Bella's hand and walked with her to the door.

**Jasper POV**

I had to wait a minute as I heard Melody and Bella walk to the door. When the door opened I waited another second before slowly walking out of the forest. I could feel Bella's fear and anger towards me but I could also sense curiosity. Melody was whispering to her that she had to relax and keep on breathing. I helped by sending calming waves to her which seemed to help. 'Bella, this is Jasper Whitlock.' Melody said softly. 'Whitlock? I thought his name was Hale.' Bella whispered back, feeling a bit confused. 'To everyone in this town Jasper and Rosalie are known as twins with Hale as their surname, but as I told before, we're all not actually related. Jasper's own surname is Whitlock.' Melody explained.

Bella just nodded and kept staring at me. I could feel her curiosity growing and the fear and anger subside a bit. I could understand why she was angry as it was my kind who inflicted so much pain on her. 'Bella, can I come a bit closer?' I asked carefully. Bella hesitated for a couple of seconds before she slowly nodded. I walked at a slow human pace towards her, all the while concentrating on her emotions. I was relieved when the fear and anger only seemed to subside more while I came closer.

When I was about six feet away from them Melody released Bella's hand and walked towards me. I opened my arms for her and hugged her tight. Even the small time we had been apart today was too much for me and I was glad I had her back in my arms. Melody turned around in my arms and smiled to Bella who was watching us with disbelief clear in her eyes and her emotions. 'Bella? Bella, you're mouth is hanging open.' Melody giggled. Bella quickly snapped out of her trance and shut her mouth. 'He really doesn't hurt you, does he?' Bella asked in awe. 'No, I would rather kill myself then hurt Melody.' I assured Bella.

Bella looked at us for a full minute before she realised we were all standing outside. 'Let's go inside.' She said. 'It's a bit weird to stand outside like this.' She quickly went inside and held the door open for us. I was a bit taken aback as I hadn't expected this to happen but Bella's curiosity had won from her fear and anger for which I was glad. An angry human who knew our secret wasn't really what we needed.

We all sat down in the living room, Bella on a chair and Melody and I on the couch. I quickly took Melody's hand in mine before turning to Bella. 'Thank you for trusting me this way. I know it must be hard for you to have my kind in your house.' I said sincerely. I could feel confusion at my words and realised a second later that she didn't know I had heard her entire story. 'I was in the forest close by and heard your story when you were telling it to Melody.' I explained. More confusion… great, she didn't know why I had been in the forest. 'I asked Jasper to come along and wait in the forest to help.' Melody explained as Bella was now looking at her with questioning eyes. 'You said before that the leader of the vampires who hurt you had a tracking gift.' Bella nodded and waited for Melody to continue. 'Well, other vampires have gifts as well. Jasper has the gift to feel and manipulate emotions and I thought that it might help you today.'

'You calmed me today?' Bella asked amazed. 'Yes, but only when you really needed it which wasn't that much.' I told her. At my words Bella's curiosity spiked. 'How does your gift work? Can you do more than just calm me? Like make me really happy or sad?' She asked excited. 'My gift works on the body unlike other gifts who work in the mind. I can make you feel really sleepy or make you feel as if you're in lots of pain. I can make you feel any emotion there is.' I explained. 'Can you show me?' Bella asked. I thought for a moment about what kind of emotion would be best suited for the moment and decided that happiness was my best bet. I send a small dose of happiness towards her and saw the effects immediately. Bella relaxed completely and a large smile appeared on her face. I quickly withdrew my power and saw the smile become less big but she stayed relaxed. 'That felt really weird. As if I wasn't in complete control over my actions.' Bella said enthusiastically and I was relieved that the anger and fear I had felt before had disappeared almost completely.

Melody and I stayed for over an hour and we talked about small things like what school was like in Phoenix and how Bella liked Forks so far. None of us mentioned the vampires who terrorised Bella back in Phoenix. I knew we would have to talk about it at some point as moving from Phoenix to Forks didn't really make you untraceable but for now it was best left alone. Bella went to the kitchen every now and then to check on the food she had in the oven. Melody was really glad that Bella was doing so much better than just an hour ago and I could tell that she cared for her.

We had to leave when Esme called me to say that Melody's diner would be ready soon. Bella walked us to the door and we said our goodbyes. 'Where's your car?' Bella asked, looking at her driveway and only seeing her own truck. 'Bella, you do know that vampires can run faster than a car could ever drive don't you?' Melody chuckled. 'I know, but how about you Mel?' Bella asked, clearly confused. 'I can ride with Jasper piggyback style.' Melody lied lightly. 'No… I mean how did you get here if not by car?' Bella asked.

_What do I tell her?_ Melody asked quickly. _Say that you'll tell her about that some other time._ I suggested. 'I'll tell you some other time.' Melody told Bella. I could see that Bella still wanted an answer but she didn't ask again. 'Well, bye Bella.' Melody said. She then climbed onto my back and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around me. I considered walking into the forest until we were out of Bella's sight but decided against it. I nodded my head at Bella, turned around and started running. As I expected, Bella's wasn't surprised by vampire speed as she had already witnessed it before.

_Do you want to run yourself?_ I asked Melody as we were halfway home. _Nope, I kind of like this._ Melody replied as she buried her face in the crook of my shoulder. When I came close to the house a lot of different emotions hit me. Anger, concern and determination were the most dominant emotions though I could feel some happiness too. _Something big is going on in the house._ I told Melody. I felt her nod but she didn't say anything.

Melody jumped from my back and I took her hand in mine before we went inside. We were met by an interesting sight to say the least. The family was divided in three parties. On the left side stood Rosalie and Emmett who were both projecting anger. On the right were Edward and Alice who were both feeling determined though Alice was also feeling happy about something. In the middle stood Carlisle and Esme who were both feeling concerned. I sighed and send everyone a large dose of calming vibes. This was going to be a long day.

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**Review, review, review, review... please? ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	26. Edward's resolve

**6 reviews for chapter 24 and only 2 reviews for chapter 25... I don't get it... but still, thanks to those who reviewed!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 26!**

**Jasper, Carlisle and Edward POV :) Enjoy ^_^**

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**Jasper POV**

I was once again wondering whether vampires could get a headache. My family had been arguing non-stop for over an hour now and they were getting nowhere. When Melody and I had come home earlier I had tried to calm everyone down. It helped at the moment and made them talk normally but after just half a minute the emotions from before came crashing back. By now I had stopped a fight between Rosalie and Edward over a hundred times and send everyone calming waves every ten seconds. They weren't even discussing anything relevant at the moment. All they did was accusing each other of one thing or another.

Talking to Rosalie or Edward didn't work either. Emmett was supporting Rosalie without question and Alice seemed to agree with Edward though I wasn't sure why as she didn't say much. The problem was that they all just didn't listen to anything anyone said. In the end even Carlisle had given up and sat down on the couch while Esme ushered both teams out of the house where they would do less damage. 'How much longer do you think they can keep this up?' Melody asked in a whisper. I just shrugged as I rubbed my temples in an attempt to get rid of all the emotions that were coming from outside.

Melody put her hand on my shoulder and I could feel a sudden determination. 'That's it.' She growled. I looked up as she got up from the couch and stalked over to the backyard. Carlisle and I looked at each other for a second before following her outside. 'That's enough.' Melody yelled as she stepped in between the two parties. 'Get out of the way Melody.' Edward snarled. I gritted my teeth but held my tongue. I could feel how determined Melody was about this and I knew she could fend for herself, it just felt wrong to do nothing and just let her stand between two raging vampires.

'No Edward, I won't get out of the way. This is insane and you know it.' Melody snapped. 'Don't you dare call me insane little girl.' Edward growled. 'He, don't threaten my little sister.' Emmett roared as he crouched down. 'Are you challenging me brother?' Edward whispered as he crouched down as well. 'Enough!' Melody yelled. She struck her arms sideways and less than a second later both Emmett and Edward were flying backwards through the air. I expected them to make a hard landing on the ground but Melody didn't let this happen. She pulled her arms back a bit and made fists of her hands. As a result of this, Edward and Emmett's flight stopped halfway and both of them remained hanging in the air. Rosalie and Alice both snapped out of their rage and stared at what Melody had done. I could feel amusement and shock coming from both of them but there was still some anger there too.

'What the… what did you do?' Edward asked in shock. I could feel Melody's amusement at Edwards's obvious frustration at the moment and I had to do my best not to burst out laughing. Emmett on the other hand thought this was all very amusing. 'Cool Mel, you should do this more often! This is awesome.' He boomed while trying to do a summersault and failing at it. Right now he was hanging upside down because he had only gotten halfway through the summersault.

'Emmett… will you behave if I let you down?' Melody asked in a stern way. 'I'll behave but you have to promise me to do this again some time.' Emmett replied with a huge grin on his face. Melody sighed but I could feel she was amused by Emmett's excitement. 'Sure Em, I'll do this to you again some time.' Melody said. She then started lowering her left arm and Emmett watched in amazement as he slowly dropped back to the ground. The moment Emmett touched the ground and Melody released him entirely he bounced over to Rosalie. 'Rosie, did you see what she did? It was awesome! I really want to do it again.' He rambled happily. Rosalie nodded and smiled at her husband but I could still feel her anger towards Edward and a bit towards Alice.

Melody had turned towards Edward now and I wondered what she was going to do. They had never really seen eye to eye so I wasn't sure whether Melody would let Edward down as easily as she had with Emmett. She was still feeling amused but it was now directed at Edward. 'So Edward, do you promise you'll behave if I let you down?' Melody asked sweetly. 'Bite me.' Edward growled. 'Suit yourself.' Melody shrugged. She lifted her arm a bit higher and I heard Edward hiss loudly as he flew a bit higher. Melody smirked at Edward and I could tell that she was enjoying this thoroughly.

I walked to Melody and went to stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. 'I know you're enjoying this but the situation from earlier won't be solved this way, sweetheart.' I chuckled in her ear. 'I guess you're right.' Melody sighed. She quickly turned around in my arms and a second later I heard a loud thud as Edward hit the ground from thirty feet high. I looked over Melody's head to see Edward stand up and brushing dirt from his clothes. His eyes were murderous and his emotions were completely hostile towards Melody. 'You little…' Edward seethed. 'You deserved what you got Edward, deal with it.' Melody hissed.

Edward stared at Melody for a second more before turning on his heel and storming into the house while muttering something about more important things. 'This really didn't help the situation, Mel.' I said again, looking down at my girl. 'I know, but he was getting on my last nerve.' Melody said with a pout on her face. I put my hand under her chin and lifted her head a bit so that her eyes met mine. 'Don't pout. I didn't say I don't agree with you.' I told her. A smile appeared on her face as I leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself closer, deepening the kiss.

'Ahem, guys… great show but we've still got some things to discuss.' I reluctantly broke the kiss and glared at Emmett who was looking at us as if we were his favourite TV show. 'You've got really bad timing big brother.' Melody growled. 'Well, you'd better get used to that little sis. As a big brother it's my duty to protect you from hormonal guys.' Emmett said, obviously amused but I could tell he was serious on some level. I rolled my eyes at him and started walking into the house with Melody. I sat down on the loveseat and pulled Melody in my lap. The hostility in the room was once again giving me the feeling of an approaching headache and I was glad when Carlisle called the attention to him.

**Carlisle POV**

As everyone came walking back into the house I could see that both Emmett and Alice had calmed down. Rosalie and Edward were a completely different story and were still glaring at each other as they sat down opposite each other. Alice went to sit cross-legged on the floor while Emmett went to sit next to his wife, putting an arm around her shoulder. Esme sat down on the couch next to Edward and Jasper and Melody sat down on the loveseat.

'As everyone has hopefully calmed down', I locked eyes with Edward and Rosalie for a second, 'I would like to discuss why this has happened in the first place.' 'Shouldn't you scold your daughter first?' Edward spat. Jasper growled at this and, to my surprise, Melody hissed. 'No Edward I won't scold her. Though I don't approve of what she has done, it did work. We were getting nowhere with you and Rosalie bickering and growling at each other.' I told him sternly. Edward's only reply to this was a scowl. I ignored this and decided to finally start this family meeting as a better time probably wouldn't come any time soon.

'When I got back from the hospital today Jasper and Melody came to talk to me about chief Swan's daughter. It seems that she knows about vampires and even has a bite on her hand from one of our kind. As she knows of us she might expose us and we will have to discuss what we can do to prevent this.' I stated. 'I don't think you have to worry about her exposing us dad.' Melody said. I turned to look at my daughter and saw Rosalie give her little sister an incredulous look. 'Don't look at me like that Rose.' Melody sighed while rolling her eyes. 'What do you mean Mel?' Esme asked kindly.

'I went over to her today and asked her how she knew about vampires.' Melody said. She then told us what she had talked about with Isabella Swan. Jasper added a few things here and there, like Isabella's emotions when she talked about her past and when she met him, but otherwise remained quiet and let Melody talk. Isabella's story was incredible and I could only begin to imagine what it must have been like for her. The poor girl had been through so much in the past few weeks that it surprised me she hadn't gone insane by now. This girl was incredibly strong for a human.

When Melody was finished she leaned her head against Jasper's chest and I could tell she was concerned about Isabella. The fact that Isabella had accepted Melody and Jasper into her house and had told them she wouldn't say anything to anyone was good enough for me to know she wouldn't expose us. 'Well, I guess it's time for _Eddie's_ little story.' Rosalie said, sneering Edward's name as if it was something disgusting. I shot a stern look at my oldest daughter before turning to my son. 'Edward, you left school early and got home late. What happened, son?' I asked.

'Bella Swan is what happened.' Edward sighed. 'Her blood… it calls to me like no blood has ever done. The second I smelled it in class my mind stopped what it was doing. I… I started thinking about the best way to kill the entire class so I could drain Bella in peace.' Edward shuddered at the idea and refused to look at anyone in the room. 'I'm proud of you that you didn't do any of this Edward.' I told him. He looked up at me then and gave me a small smile. 'The sight of the scar on her hand snapped me out of it. I quickly excused myself from class and went for a run to clear my head.'

'I don't really understand why this would anger Rosalie like this.' Jasper mused. 'That's because our dear brother realised something during his run.' Rosalie spat. All eyes turned back to Edward who sighed heavily. 'I didn't realise anything, I just feel the need to protect Bella from her attackers. I can't explain it and I'm not even sure how I'm going to do this as her blood makes me lose control.' He shook his head in a defeated way. 'Well, you'd better not hurt her because she's going to be my best friend.' Alice chirped from the floor. I looked at her just in time to see her pull out of a vision.

'So we're going to let her into the family? Just like that?' Rosalie asked with venom clear in her voice. To my surprise it was Jasper who replied. 'I don't think it's a good idea to get too much involved with the Swan girl. She might know about us being vampires but her emotions told me she wouldn't tell anyone about this plus she kind of promised Mel and me that she wouldn't tell anyone. I don't think we need to concern ourselves with her too much.' I quickly looked to Melody to see her reaction to this. 'You don't have to look at me like that dad. I don't really like it but I have to agree with Jasper and Rosalie. It's too dangerous for a human to enter the world of vampires so deeply. The fact that she has already been attacked by them is bad enough but becoming close friends with one, 'she gave Alice a sad look, 'is just not safe.' Melody finished sadly.

'Do whatever you want but I'm not going to let her be hunted down by those sadistic vampires.' Edward growled earning a hiss from Rosalie and a grin from Alice. 'Edward, we will have to think about this carefully. Isabella is safe here now and maybe getting involved with us will attract her enemies sooner.' I said carefully. 'We will have to keep a watch on her and keep our senses open in case those three vampires come looking for her but that's all we can do.'

Jasper, Melody and Emmett nodded in agreement. Rosalie looked very pleased and Esme nodded but I could tell that she didn't really like the idea. Alice and Edward however weren't all that pleased. 'Carlisle, she's going to be to me what Melody is to Rosalie.' Alice stated and she glared around the room as if daring any of us to contradict her. When no one said anything she looked satisfied and walked up the staircase and out of sight.

'I don't care what you say Carlisle.' Edward whispered. I turned towards my son to see something in his eyes that I had never seen before: determination. 'I don't want her to be vulnerable when there are three sadistic vampires after her. Just keeping our senses open won't be enough Carlisle. When they find her, and they will, they will torture and kill her and I'm not about to let that happen.' Edward was raging by now and I was afraid he would start throwing things at any moment when he suddenly calmed down and leaned back against the couch.

'Jasper… stop doing that.' Edward hissed then and before any of us could stop him he stood up and raced outside. 'Sorry… I just didn't want him breaking anything.' Jasper said apologetically. 'It's okay son, it was the right thing to do.' I told him. 'I guess this meeting is over, at least for now.' I told the others. No one argued with me and soon the only ones left in the room were Esme and myself. My lovely wife walked towards me and wrapped her arms around me. I leaned my cheek on her head and sighed. 'It's not always easy to live together with four teenage vampires.' Esme sighed. 'It sure isn't but we will have to find a solution to this problem.' I replied heavily. 'We have to let it go for now and see what will happen. I've never seen Edward this determined before and I don't think that anything we say will stop him from doing what he wants.'

Esme had a good point and this is what worried me. Edward had stated that he wanted to keep Isabella safe but from who? The three unknown vampires were a threat but maybe Edward himself was a bigger threat. He had admitted that Isabella's scent had overwhelmed him in less than a second and I was afraid that this might cost Isabella her life. 'I'm going to look for Edward to talk to him. He has to know that being anywhere near Isabella could mean the end of her life.' I said after a few seconds of silence. Esme just nodded and kissed me softly. 'I'll be back soon.' I told her before running after Edward.

**Edward POV**

The only one who had showed me any support was Alice. Even that little rat with wings had been against helping Bella even though she had talked with her all afternoon. When she had told her story I was sure she would help her, not for me, but because it sounded like they had started to become friends. Now I was sure the winged rat had just pretended to be nice to Bella so that she would tell her story. I mean, who would abandon a friend that way? Right, no one. I shouldn't have trusted that winged rat in the first place.

Running did help me relax a bit but nowhere near enough. I had expected Rosalie to be against anything concerning Bella and Emmett would agree with her; that was no surprise. That Esme was against protecting Bella to the best of our abilities was a big surprise for me. I could read in her thoughts that she agreed with me but she just wouldn't voice it. I stopped running and hit the tree I was standing next to, completely uprooting it. The few birds that were in it flew away while chirping angrily at me. I glared at the small birds as they only reminded me of my extremely annoying, winged sister.

I heard Carlisle's thoughts before I could hear him running. _Edward, I'm coming to talk to you. Please don't run._ My father figure told me a few seconds before I heard him running towards me. I thought for a second about running away, not really wanting to talk at the moment, but decided against it. Running now wouldn't solve the problem, it would just delay it. Talking now meant getting it over with which sounded much better. I had already decided to protect Bella and nothing Carlisle was going to say would change my mind.

I sat down on the ground to wait. Carlisle arrived a few seconds later and sat down next to me, not saying anything. We just sat there in total silence and I had to admit that it felt nice. Carlisle didn't even think about what had been discussed earlier and I knew he was waiting for me to start talking. 'I guess I should say something.' I sighed. Carlisle didn't react in any way and I knew what he was doing and to my annoyance, it was working. He knew I had a lot of things racing through my mind and would want to talk sooner or later.

I sighed inwardly and turned towards Carlisle. 'Why don't you guys support me in this?' I finally asked. 'It's not like that Edward and you know it. I know you've listened to our minds during the meeting and even though Melody, Jasper and Alice are blocked to you, you can still hear Esme and me. We agree with you on the fact that Bella might need protection sooner or later from the three vampires who tormented her. We just don't think that her getting involved with us is going to do her much good. A human in the vampire world is dangerous for both her and us.' Carlisle explained.

'You accepted Melody into the family without thinking twice about it.' I countered bitterly. 'You know as well as I do that we tried to put Melody up for adoption when we thought she was still human. After she revealed her wings we couldn't put her up for adoption again and you have to agree with that.' I hated to admit it but I knew Carlisle was right. Putting a baby with wings up for adoption wasn't the best way to stay inconspicuous.

We stayed quiet again for a couple of minutes and again I couldn't hear anything in Carlisle head but things about hospital charts and reports. He wanted me to ask what I wanted to know and was therefore shielding his thoughts. 'You really want me to talk, don't you?' I growled. 'It's the best way to work through things as we can't do it while we sleep.' Carlisle shrugged. I sighed but didn't say anything. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say at the moment. Everything had been said in the living room and by Carlisle just now. I didn't have anything to add.

'I guess it's my turn to talk now.' Carlisle said as he noticed I wasn't going to say anything. 'I'm not sure what makes you want to protect Isabella― 'Bella.' I corrected him. Carlisle gave me a wry smile before continuing. 'Protect Bella this badly, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be close to her. As you said yourself, just breathing in her scent once made your bloodlust almost too strong to resist her. How are you going to be her personal bodyguard if you can't even be in the same room with her?' Carlisle asked. It was a fair question and I had thought about it myself.

'I would not stay that close to her but close enough to hear it when someone would come near her. I can't explain it but when I saw her scar I snapped out of the bloodlust by shock and a strong will to protect her. Carlisle… you have to let me protect her.' I was almost begging by now and I hated myself for it. I had never begged for anything before in my life but this was something too important. If begging was going to get me what I needed then so be it.

'Edward… I don't think it's a wise idea but I won't stop you. If you really feel this strongly about it then go for it.' Carlisle sighed. I couldn't help but feel relieved and happy at this but was worried at the same time. Having Carlisle's consent didn't mean the others agreed with him. 'What about the others…' I asked, not really wanting to know the answer. This time I was glad that Carlisle was blocking me out. 'Don't worry about them, I'll explain it all.' Carlisle promised me.

More relief flowed through my body and I gave Carlisle a grateful smile. Nothing had to be said in that moment. We knew each other long enough to know that things were alright now. I got up from the ground first after another few minutes of comfortable silence. 'I'm going to head to the Swan residence. I won't come to close, just to check if she's alright.' I informed Carlisle. My father figure got up from the ground and just nodded, but that was enough for me.

I turned around and started running towards Bella when Carlisle's thoughts reached me. _Don't be too judgemental about Melody, son. She cares about Bella, I saw that when she told us about her visit. She just doesn't want to see her get hurt. You do have an ally in her, don't block her from this._ He was quiet after this and I knew why, he wanted me to think about what he had said. Of course it worked and I did think about it the entire way to Bella's house.

By the time I got to Bella's house I hated myself. The one creature I had silently vowed to hate forever was now an ally in my mission to keep Bella safe. Carlisle had been right when he said the winged rat had showed affection towards Bella when she told her story. As I hated the winged rat I hadn't paid much attention to it but Carlisle was right as always. I wouldn't admit it out loud and I would certainly not say anything about it in front of the girl, but silently I had to admit that Melody wasn't as bad as I had thought all these years.

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**So... opinions? feedback? like/dislike? review and let me know! :)**

**Remember more reviews = faster update.**

**~Marieke~**


	27. Decisions

**I've come to the conclusion that no matter how many times I ask for reviews they just won't come... I get 1 or 2 and that's it. So... I love writing this story so I'll continue doing so but I won't put any pressure behind it or set myself one week deadlines. If I finish a chapter in one day? then there will be a fast update. If it takes me 2 or 3 weeks to finish a chapter? then you guys will have to wait a while for an update.**

**To the readers who DO review, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you guys and please never stop reviewing ^_^ I update because you guys care enough to let me know what you think ^_^**

**I got one review from Anna who isn't a member so I couldn't reply so I'm going to do it in this A/N :)**

**Review reply:**

**Anna, I'm not mad about your review :) You gave your honest opinion and I appreciate that ^_^ I can always use feedback to improve the story :)**

**The reason I wrote what I did in the previous chapter is because that is the way I interpreted the characters in the books. The books are from Bella's POV so you can't really know what the others were thinking when she first came to Forks High school. What is absolutely clear (because Edward mentioned it a few times) is that vampires are selfish creatures by nature so it 's only natural for everyone to look at things from their own pov. This means that for Alice, she sees Bella as her future best friend and therefore she will support Edward. Carlisle and Esme care for Edward but they have to think of the entire family. They also believe that it is in Bella's best interest to not get involved with any more vampires as it's not very healthy for a human.**

**The fact that Melody is treated special is because she kind of is. The same happens in the Twilight books with Bella. The Cullens do everything to keep her safe and the same goes for Melody in this story. The reason why Melody wasn't scolded for her behaviour was because she is treated as an adult and not as a child. Edward would have done the same to her and Emmett if he would have been in her position. **

**I hope this explains why I had made the previous chapter that way :) Don't worry about Edward though, he'll be just fine ;) **

**So... end of review reply and on to the next chapter.**

**Bella and Zackary POV, enjoy :)**

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**Bella POV**

I had let a vampire into my house and he didn't hurt me. He had been kind and had talked to me as if he was a normal human. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. The fact that vampires were in Forks had scared me more than I would like to admit but it appeared that these weren't like the ones who had tormented me in Phoenix.

'Bells! I'm home!' Charlie called from downstairs. 'I'll be right there dad!' I called back. I had already finished my homework before and during dinner and I was now reading an extremely long email Renee had sent me. Renee had written everything she had done so far in detail which meant that all of it together was like reading a chapter from a novel. I was glad that she was doing okay and that she and Phil were having a good time together. Nothing in the email indicated that they had any unwanted visitors of any kind which was a relief.

I clicked on reply and started explaining how my first day of school had been. I told her about the lessons and about the people I had met. I also wrote about Melody and Jasper coming over after school though I left out that a bunch of vampires were walking around. That was something Renee definitely didn't need to know. I finished my mail, reread it to see whether I forgot anything and clicked on send when I was satisfied enough.

When I came down Charlie was already eating his late dinner and greeted me between mouths full of food. I decided to just sit there and wait for him to finish before telling him about my first day at school. Charlie would never ask me to talk about it but I knew he wanted to know about it as he was afraid I wouldn't enjoy living here.

'So kid, sorry for the wait. Did you want to tell me something?' Charlie asked innocently after he swallowed his last bit of food. I rolled my eyes at his tactics and started telling him about my day. How there were some nice people at school, but that I couldn't really remember their names, and that two fellow students had come to visit this afternoon. 'Ah, the Cullens. The father of that family is a miracle worker at the hospital.' Charlie said happily. 'I don't know much about the kids that Doctor Cullen and his wife have adopted but they all seem decent enough.'

We spend the rest of the evening talking about the different people I had met at school today. Charlie seemed to know all the names of my classmates and had an opinion about all of them as well. I guess that is what you get in a small town like this. Everyone knew everything about anything. It surprised me that the Cullens could actually keep their secret with all the gossip this town had to endure.

When I came back to my room Renee had already send an answer. I quickly read the email and couldn't help but smile. My mother might be an adult on paper but she sometimes acted as if she was still a teenager. Right now she was talking about boys at my school and whether I had seen something to my liking yet. I quickly replied again by saying that only one day wasn't enough to pick my future boyfriend and that I would tell her if I ever did find someone so that she had to be patient.

Next I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair and then quickly changed clothes and lay down in my bed. The moment my head hit the pillow I felt how tired I actually was and I fell asleep almost instantly.

_I found myself at school but I was all alone which made me quite certain I was dreaming. As nothing happened when I just stood there I decided to walk around the school. All the classrooms were empty as was the gym. I sighed in frustration as this wasn't really a dream I wanted to have. Nothing interesting happened and I was pretty sure I wouldn't remember any of this anyway. As a last resort I decided to go to the cafeteria as that was the last place I hadn't been yet. _

_I had expected the cafeteria to be empty like the rest of the school but this wasn't the case. Three tables in the cafeteria were occupied. One with chess-club Eric, dog-boy Mike, gossip-girl Jessica and my parents and one with the Cullens. The last table was occupied by three people I wished weren't there. They all had red eyes, pale skin and were looking at me as if I was their favourite snack. Come to think of it, I probably was their favourite snack._

_I walked to the middle of the room and just stood there, looking at the three tables. Somehow I knew that if I chose one table I would lose the other two. I didn't want to choose the table with my three tormenters but somehow I felt a pull towards that table. It wasn't a positive pull but more like something I wouldn't be able to get away from. _

_My normal classmates were all calling and waving to me but I couldn't hear them. I strained my ears and vaguely heard them calling my name and asking me to join them at the table, but the sounds were too soft to be sure. There was no pull whatsoever towards that table and the more I tried to hear what they called to me, the less I heard them. It felt like I would never fit into the human world like I had once done._

_Then there was the last table, the table where the Cullens were sitting. The small one, Alice, and the god like one, Edward, were both looking at me and beckoning me over. Jasper and Melody were just looking at me but I could see in their eyes that they wanted me to make the decision to go to their table by myself, without anyone telling me to. The blond one, Rosalie, wasn't looking at me at all and the burly one, Emmett, was grinning at me as if he didn't care what I would choose but would prefer if I went over to his table. I felt a pull to the Cullens as well but it wasn't a negative pull. This one was a comforting one._

_I stood there, rooted to the floor and looking at each table in turn. If I choose the table with my enemies then my life would be over for sure but at least they wouldn't go after my parents, or at least I hoped so. If I choose the table with my classmates and my parents I would choose life though I had no idea how long this would last as my enemies were still out there. The last table was a question mark to me. If I choose that one, would it mean that they would help me with my vampire problem? Would the help protect my parents if needed? And an even more pressing problem, would they be able to resist my blood if I came too close? It had seemed Jasper had no problem with my scent as he had stayed near me in my house for over an hour but that didn't mean the rest of them would have the same control. _

_I remembered how Edward had looked at me from the classroom door and shuddered. Those coal black eyes had definitely been from thirst. Was he beckoning me now just to drain me? I looked towards Edward again and noticed two things. One, his eyes only portrayed love towards me, which I found strange but I dismissed that for the moment. Two, he, the rest of his family… heck, the entire Cullen table had moved away from me. I turned my head towards the table with my parents and saw that the same had happened to that one. This table was even further away than the Cullen table. _

_I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and turned around slowly. The table with my three enemies had come a lot closer. I willed myself to stay calm and thought this through. The longer I hesitated, the closer my enemies came. So I had to make a choice and I had to make it fast. _

_Turning back to the other tables I noticed that my parents' table had once again moved away from me. The Cullen table was still in the same spot and Edward was standing now. He held out his hand towards me and was pleading me with his eyes to come towards him. As I stared at him the table with my parents moved further back and the Cullen table came closer again. I looked behind me and saw that my enemies had gone backwards. I let out a sigh in relief and took a hesitant step towards the Cullen table and Edward. _

_The moment I did this a brilliant smile appeared on Edward's face. Behind him Alice and Melody were smiling as well. Jasper nodded his head and Emmett's grin became if possible even bigger. They all seemed to welcome me. I took another step forward and another and before I knew it I lifted my hand and placed it in Edward's. 'Welcome home.' He whispered and bend down to kiss me…_

My eyes snapped open and I sat up so fast, my head started spinning. The dream… it had seemed too real to be a dream. I put my hand on my forehead only to find that it was drenched with sweat. What I had seen wasn't just a dream. It was about a choice I would have to make in real life, and make it soon. I shook my head to get rid of the last remnants of sleep and got out of bed. I walked to the bathroom to get a drink of water and was calmed by the peaceful snoring that was coming from Charlie's bedroom. He was still alright and that on its own was a big relief.

I took the glass of water back to my room and walked to the window. It was a rare, cloudless night and the full moon shone brightly in the sky, casting the normally green land of Forks in its white light. I sighed and sat down on the window sill, looking at the sky, the troubling dream just a memory now. I knew I had to think about that dream again soon but not at the moment. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, just enjoying the moment of complete silence while sitting in the moonlight.

A few minutes later I sighed and opened my eyes. If I didn't go back to bed I would probably fall asleep in class tomorrow which wasn't such a good idea on my second day of school. I stood up and reached for my curtains to close them when I noticed someone outside. I opened my window and looked down to see who it was. There, beneath the tree that stood in front of my window, half hidden, stood Edward Cullen.

**Zackary POV**

One word to describe Forks… One word… wet definitely came to mind but I had decided that rainy was a better way to describe this tiny town in Washington state. Scotland had been wet but it hadn't always rained there. Forks was cursed to be rained upon for ever or something. 'You don't like this place, do you?' Said a voice from behind me. I sighed and turned around to see the seer looking at me with a sweet smile on her face though it didn't reach her eyes. 'What are you doing here seer?' I sighed.

To my annoyance the seer didn't answer me and just jumped over to the tree I was sitting in. She positioned herself next to me and made to lean her head on my shoulder. I jumped down just in time and to my amusement the seer toppled over and fell from the tree branch. Too bad that her reflexes were as good as mine because she made a quick turn during her fall and landed on her feet as if she had jumped down herself instead of falling involuntarily. Luckily the look on her face still told me she had most definitely fallen down. 'Well, that was unexpected.' The seer grumbled while making a show of straightening her clothes.

'You didn't see that coming? And here I thought you were a seer. Damn, I need to change the way I call you now.' I said mockingly. The seer just glared but didn't say anything. She never won any verbal competition with me but it was always fun to see her try. 'Ah, don't take that bit of fun away from me. Come one, just say something back.' I pleaded very sarcastically. 'I've already seen that I won't win so I'm not even going to try _master Zackary_.' She sneered my title and name and I stored that for future use. The seer could get in quite some trouble by not treating me with respect and I could definitely use this against her.

'So, if you didn't come here to try and beat me with words… why did you come here?' I finally asked when it became apparent that the seer wouldn't say anything. 'The Master wants to see you. You haven't reported to him in some time and he wants to know if you have any updates for him.' The seer told me. 'Tell him that there's been no change and that I'll report again next week.' I said and waved my hand to dismiss the seer. 'The Master told me to bring you back, by force if needed.' The seer pressed.

I couldn't help but laugh at this. 'You? Take me home by force? Yeah, I'm really frightened now.' I said sarcastically. The seer glared at me but once again didn't argue with me. 'You know, you're no fun at all when it comes to witty comebacks.' I sighed in mock disappointment. 'Fine, because you ask so nicely I'll go back and meet the Master to report what I know.' I finally said without much enthusiasm. The seer bowed to me and flamed out in her purple flame. Because of her I really hated the colour purple now. I sighed and reluctantly flamed out myself.

When the green of my flame died out I found myself in the nice and quiet north garden. Too bad I couldn't just stay here for a while before going back to rainy-town. Well, no use crying over spilled milk. I reluctantly walked out of the garden, waving at the guards when they saluted me. I knew the route from the north garden to the Master's room by heart so I used the time to think of what I would tell him. One thing I was definitely not going to tell him was about my relationship with Alice. I'm pretty sure the Master would pull me from Melody's case and then I would never be able to see Alice again. The Master always knew where I would teleport to so he would bring me back here the moment he sensed me anywhere near the Cullens and more specifically, near Alice and I was not about to let that happen.

I waited outside the room until the Master would call me in. Standing there made me think that it was kind of stupid no one could call the Master by his name. I mean, he had a name so why not use it? It didn't make sense but as he could read everyone's mind whenever he wanted; even thinking his name was out of the question. Luckily I was called in then so I couldn't think about this any further. My mind was going into the direction of insulting the Master and that would get me in quite a bit of trouble. I might have a high status but that didn't stop the Master from throwing me in a cell for a few days.

'Zackary, welcome back.' The Master said. I bowed my head, happy I wasn't expected to actually drop to my knees when meeting the Master like those with a lower rank had to do. 'I hope you have some news for me as you haven't reported to me in over a month.' The Master said and I could feel his presence in my head, searching through my memories. 'Nothing new happened, Master. Melody is still doing great at school but she hasn't developed her fire power yet. As this is what we are waiting for I didn't think it was necessary to report back yet.' I told the Master while pushing the memories I wanted to keep secret to the back of my mind.

'Is that all Zackary?' The Master asked. I could still feel him poking around in my head, something he normally never did. I cursed the seer under my breath, as she had obviously told him something, before answering the Master as it was better to tell him myself than to let him extract it from my mind. 'Melody's bond with the vampire has become stronger. She is now in a relationship with him.' I said reluctantly. 'I see… and why did you let this happen, young Zackary?' The Master asked quietly. I cringed at his voice as he only used it when something happened that he hadn't planned. Everything almost always went according to his plans. The few times it hadn't worked out his way… well let's just say you don't want to be anywhere near him when this happened.

'They've had a powerful bond ever since the vampire found her. It was only natural that this would happen.' I said. The Master stayed quiet for a long time and I didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. For several minutes I just stood there in silence until the Master finally spoke. 'I don't understand how one of our kind could have such a bond with a vampire. This might pose a problem when she's ready to come home.' I noticed that the Master wasn't really talking to me but more to himself so I refrained from saying anything though I was glad when I felt him leave my mind.

'Zackary, I want you to find out whether the bond with the vampire is a genuine soulmate bond or not.' The Master said after a few more minutes of talking to himself. 'Master, what will I do once I've found this out?' I asked, not really wanting to know the answer as it probably wasn't anything good. 'If the bond is genuine you'll do nothing and report back to me, we will then talk about the best way to separate the vampire from the girl. If the bond is even a tiny bit less genuine than a real soulmate bond… you will destroy the vampire then and there.'

I stood rooted to the spot, unable to say anything. I had watched over Melody ever since we had found her again with the vampires. I had seen her grow, mature, make friends and eventually fall in love. It would destroy her if I killed Jasper and even if the bond was genuine the Master would still find a way to separate them. It would take a while for me to find out whether the bond was genuine but the moment I did I would have to make a choice. Would I kill the vampire and take Melody with me? Or would I betray my family whom I had lived with for over a thousand years?

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**Like I said above, I'll update when the next chapter is done. If you all decide to review all of a sudden then I'll probably be motivated enough to finish the next chapter soon... so it's kind of up to you guys. I know it's not fair to those who do review all the time but as I said, I love this story so the updates will come :)**

**~Marieke~**


	28. Soulmates

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! :D 7 reviews in total for the last chapter ^_^ You guys really made me happy and motivated :)  
So thanks: DarkArtest, anna, Black Deaths 911, Isabel Southwell, , Nicky D and tx-honey-1989 :D **

**As I said in the AN from the last chapter, as soon as I would finish writing the next chapter, I would post it so here it is :)**

**It's an Edward/Bella chapter and therefore from their POV :) Hope you all like it! And of course, let me know if you do like it, or don't like it (trust me, I won't bite!) and when you don't have an account and do have a question about something just review and I'll answer in an AN at the beginning of the next chapter :) **

**Disclaimer: the usual, the Twilight characters are not mine :(**

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**Edward POV**

I had decided to stay away from Bella's house after my talk with Carlisle. I had truly believed that I would be able to do that and at first I had definitely succeeded. I had stayed in the forest around Bella's house and just listened to her conversation with her father. It was a surprise to me that just listening to her voice could calm me down considerably. Without even noticing it I had started walking closer to the house at a really slow human pace. Before I knew what was happening I was standing outside Bella's house, below her window.

I shook my head and looked around. This was not what I had planned at all. I was too close to the house and I knew I had to move away but my body wouldn't listen to me. I just stood there and listened as Bella wished her father a goodnight and went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Bella was asleep pretty fast and I thought this was the perfect moment to turn around and go back home. I was about to do this when I heard Bella's voice coming from the house. I turned around and focussed on what she was saying while a small voice in the back of my head yelled at me to turn around and run. Bella was talking in her sleep and it sounded like she was dreaming about walking around in school. She cursed a few times before I heard her sigh in relief and then her breath caught. It took all of my will power to stay down here and not check whether she was alright.

As the dream progressed Bella started tossing and turning more and more. She was talking about tables and choices and it didn't really make a lot of sense to me but then she said my name. It sounded clear and confident but she also said it like a question. I really wanted to know what she was dreaming about but her mind was as silent to me now as it had been at school. Her breath caught then and I had to grab the tree I was standing next to in order to keep myself from jumping up into her room. I was sure that a vampire crashing through her window wouldn't do Bella any good.

After a few seconds she started breathing normally again and I relaxed my hold on the tree. She then named all of my siblings and ended with my name. With every name she said she sounded more confident. Then her heart rate increased and a second later I heard her sit up in bed. Whatever she had been dreaming about had woke her up abruptly. How I wished I could just read her mind and find out what her dream had been about.

I heard Bella get up and walk to another room, where she got a glass of water, and walk back again. She then opened the curtains of her window and sat down on the window sill, looking at the moon. She looked like an angel up there. No wait, not an angel… that sounded too much like the little pet name Jasper had for Melody. Bella looked… she looked like a goddess. Her skin looked as pale as mine in the moonlight and the moon was reflected beautifully in her eyes.

I shook my head fast, this wasn't good. I was describing this human girl, whose blood called to me like no other, as a goddess and the longer I looked at her the more beauty I saw. I was falling… and I was falling hard. A sigh escaped my lips as I looked back up to see Bella getting up from the window sill. She was about to close her curtains when her eyes met mine. Her eyes grew bigger as she opened the window, probably to get a better look. I saw her mouth form the words that confirmed she knew who was standing here. 'Edward Cullen.' She whispered before she fainted.

Without thinking about it I jumped up and through her window. The moment I landed I stopped breathing as I didn't want to be overwhelmed by her scent again. I picked Bella up from the floor and carried her to her bed. I was careful not to let her touch more than my arms as the cold from my body might wake her up. She was unconscious now and it was best for her to stay that way until I was gone again. I carefully placed Bella on her bed and walked to the window to leave.

'Edward? You really are here.' Bella said from behind me. I slowly turned around and was met by Bella who was looking at me with steady, chocolate brown eyes. Her breathing was normal and she seemed at ease but I didn't dare come closer or move away for that matter. Any motion might scare her and I didn't want to be the cause of more stress. 'Are you okay? You're not breathing…' Bella said. She reached for me with her hand but thought better of it halfway and let it drop down on the bed.

I turned around very slowly and kept my eyes on Bella to see whether my movement scared her. To my surprise she just sat there and looked at me as I acted like an idiot by turning in slow motion. When I had turned around and sat down I let out a sigh in relief that Bella hadn't freaked out. A second later I figured out that sighing was the biggest mistake I could make. I had no breath left to talk now and breathing in this room was deadly for Bella. I cursed myself in my head for my stupidity but snapped out of it by a giggle from Bella. The sound made me feel happy and alive, something I had never felt before.

'What?' I asked with the last bit of air I had left. 'You're face looked kind of funny just now.' Bella explained with a shrug. That took me by surprise big time. Bella seemed totally at ease with me sitting here on her floor. Now I was the one all tensed up which was not something I was used to. 'So… why are you here?' Bella asked casually but I saw the curiosity in her eyes. I had a problem now though. Bella had asked a question and was expecting an answer which I could only give her if I breathed in first. This was going to be a problem.

'Edward? Are you okay?' Bella asked, snapping me out of my mental rambling. Another question… this was so not good. I looked around the room and found something that could help me. I stood up, walked to Bella's desk and wrote what I wanted to say on a piece of paper. Bella was looking at me curiously when I turned around. I handed her the paper and she read it quietly. 'You can't breathe as long as you're here? Is that because of my blood?' She asked in concern. I nodded and was glad she asked a yes/no question.

Bella sighed and looked at the paper again. 'This means you can't answer any of my questions, can you?' she finally asked quietly. I just shook my head and wished I could do more but breathing was just too dangerous. It felt like it would literally kill me if something happened to Bella so breathing was definitely out of the question. 'If we went outside… could you breathe then?' Bella asked after a few seconds of silence. She had surprised me once again with this. I had thought about going outside to talk but figured she would never go outside with a vampire.

I nodded but didn't move. Instead I motioned for Bella to go first. Bella seemed to understand but held up her hand as a sign to wait. She walked to her closet and pulled out a sweater and a pair of thick socks which she put on quickly. Then she walked to the window, looked down and shook her head. 'I can't climb down from here. There's no ledge to stand on and if I let myself drop I'll probably break one or both of my legs.' She sighed and stepped back from the window. 'Couldn't you just hold me and jump down? That way I won't break my legs and it won't wake Charlie.' Bella said. I looked at her in shock but recovered quickly and nodded. This girl kept surprising me with her comments and actions and I was sure that she would keep doing that.

She waited while I got up slowly, still afraid I would scare her if I moved to fast, and then walked towards me and stood perfectly still. 'I'll try to move as little as possible so that you won't be bothered while holding me.' She said matter-of-factly. I chuckled at this and before she could say anything about that I lifted her and jumped out of the window. I landed quietly on the ground and put Bella carefully on the ground. She wobbled for a second and grabbed my shoulder to steady herself. 'Sorry… I'm not really used to jumping out of windows.' She apologised.

I stood completely still as Bella steadied herself. When she was sure she wouldn't fall over she let go of my shoulder and took a step back. 'Can you breathe now?' She asked. I didn't answer and instead breathed in a tiny bit of air. The wind was coming from behind me so I only smelled a fraction of Bella's scent. It still set my throat on fire but not as bad as it had been in class. When Bella kept looking at me in concern I gave her a quick smile. 'It's bearable now.' I said when she still didn't relax. This worked and she smiled at me though it was a bit uncertain.

'Thank you… for suggesting we go outside.' I said after a while. 'No problem, I noticed in class that you're not really in control of your bloodlust so I figured this might be easier for you.' Bella explained with a shrug. Great… bad first impression. I was never the one without self-control. If anything, I was the one with the most self-control after Carlisle. 'I'm sorry for what happened at school.' I managed to say. 'No, you don't have to apologise. I've read a lot of books about your kind and know that bloodlust can be a real problem for those who don't always want to hurt humans.' Bella said hastily.

I scolded myself internally before once again trying to explain what had happened without freaking her out. 'My control over my bloodlust is above average, Bella. It's just that… you're blood is different, sweeter than any blood I have ever smelled in my life. It calls to me like nothing else and when I inhaled it in class today I was unprepared for the effect that it would have on me.' I stopped here to see how Bella would react to this. 'Oh… then why didn't you drain me?' Bella asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world to ask.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the way she casually talked about vampires draining humans. 'As Jasper and Melody…' I stopped talking as Bella arched an eyebrow. It took me a second to realise that I had sneered my winged sibling's name. 'Sorry… Melody and I don't really get along well.' I explained quickly. I saw understanding in Bella's eyes and was glad she didn't ask anything about it. 'Anyway, my siblings probably told you that my family isn't like other vampires. We don't drink from humans and instead we hunt animals. Our lifestyle makes it easier for us to ignore the scent of human blood.' I explained. 'But my blood is different?' Bella asked. 'Somehow… yes. I don't really understand it either but like I said, your blood calls to me.' Bella stayed quiet after this and I was once again frustrated that I couldn't read her mind.

**Bella POV**

My blood called to him but he hadn't drained me at school. He drank from animals which made him able to resist human blood better but still my blood called to him like nothing else had. I just couldn't wrap my mind around how my dream could ever come true. In my dream Edward had called me to him and had even tried to kiss me. I had thought that my dream had been something about a choice I would have to make for real but now that I thought about it… how could I ever have a relationship with a vampire? I had run to Forks to get away from vampires so getting involved with one really wasn't the best idea.

'Bella? Are you okay?' Edward asked. I looked up and saw concern in his eyes as well as sadness. 'I'm just… confused.' I could tell that this answer didn't help much as the concern in Edward's eyes was still there but I couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. This was all so weird. I had to admit that I had felt safe near Edward in my dream but this wasn't a dream. This was real life and even though I still felt safe at the moment I knew that Edward could kill me in the blink of an eye.

'I should go. I'm sorry I came here.' Well, that sure snapped me out of my thoughts. 'No! Stay… please.' I asked, cursing the desperation in my voice. 'You're not comfortable with me here, I can see it.' Edward said and I cringed inwardly at the sadness in his voice. 'I'm just not used to this, that's all. The only vampires I've ever met before have tortured me and threatened my life. I never thought that I would meet other vampires let alone vegetarian vampires.' I tried to explain it all as clear as possible and was thankful that Edward didn't interrupt me. I took a deep breath, collected my thought and continued.

'I had a dream tonight in which I had to make a choice. A choice between my enemies, my parents and human friends from school, and you and your family. It was hard but somehow I felt drawn to you, to all of you and… and when I was standing right in front of you… you tried to… uhm… kiss me.' I whispered the last part and felt a blush appear on my cheeks. I kept my eyes on the ground, too afraid of Edward's reaction.

As the seconds turned to minutes it became harder and harder to keep my eyes on the ground. The shame I had felt a few minutes ago was now turning to annoyance as Edward kept quiet. I turned my head slightly upwards and peeked at Edward through my eyelashes. He was just standing there, copying me by looking at his feet. I lifted my head higher and looked straight at him but he didn't react to this at all. He just stood there and if I didn't know any better I would mistake him for a statue.

I started to think about going back inside and pretend this conversation had never happened when Edward moved. He didn't say anything but reached out for me with his hand. After a second of hesitation he slowly placed his hand on my shoulder and lifted his head to look at me. I could see doubt and pain in his eyes but there was something else there too, hope. He took a deep breath and I could see that it hurt him but his eyes became only a fraction darker.

'I… I feel a pull towards you, Bella. I can't explain why but I feel protective of you. In class, when I lost control of my bloodlust, I was totally prepared to kill the class so that I could drain you in peace.' Edward swallowed hard and I felt a shudder go through my body when I thought back to that moment. 'I would have done it, I would have killed you... but the sight of your scar snapped me out of it.' 'My scar?' I asked while lifting my hand to look at the crescent scar. 'Yes, every vampire who sees that scar will know where it came from.' Edward explained. 'Oh.' Was the extremely intelligent answer that came out of my mouth.

Edward chuckled at my reply but didn't say anything about it. Instead he took another breath and continued with his explanation. 'As I said, I snapped out of my bloodlust the moment I saw your scar and I was able to walk away. I went on a run after this to clear my head and the only thing I could think about was how I could protect you from the ones who gave you that scar.' 'So… where does that leave us?' I asked, more to myself than Edward.

Edward however did react to my question. 'Us?' He asked while arching his right eyebrow. I blushed furiously and turned my eyes back towards the ground. 'Yeah… us… you… me… you know.' I muttered. 'I like the sound of that… us.' Edward mused. My head snapped up and I looked at him as if I hadn't heard him right. 'You like the sound of that? You mean…' I let the sentence trail and looked away again. I didn't really know what this would mean or even why I was so excited about it in the first place. He was a vampire, my worst enemy. And still… when I looked at the vampire in front of me I wasn't scared, intimidated or anything like that. All I could feel was affection and love. Wait? Did I just think love?

I looked at Edward again and knew what I had just thought was true. For some bizarre reason, or maybe it was fate, I had fallen in love with Edward Cullen. Why? I had no idea. I didn't even know him but still, when I looked at him I knew it was true. The only problem now was: how did he feel about me?

**Edward POV**

Bella hadn't finished her sentence and I really wanted to know what she had wanted to say. She had turned away from me again and I knew she was thinking about whatever she had wanted to say. Her mind was as silent as ever and that didn't really help me one bit. On the other hand, I was really glad she hadn't told me to go away and had instead stopped me when I had offered to go. Did that mean she wanted me to be there? Or was it just because she was still wandering about a few things and needed answers? Either way, I was glad I could at least spend some time with Bella.

When she looked up to me again she didn't say anything. She just looked into my eyes and I saw that she had come to a conclusion. Her eyes were saying more than enough but I needed to hear her say the conclusion she had come up with. 'Edward… I don't know how… but I love you?' Bella finally said but she made it sound like a question as if she wasn't really sure herself. I put my hand to her cheek and she leaned into it, closing her eyes in the process and looking completely at ease. 'I think I love you too, Bella. I know we've only just met and that the odds are completely against us but I'm going to make this work one way or another.' I vowed.

Bella's answering smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life and it took every ounce of self-control not to pull her into a hug. 'I trust you Edward.' Bella finally said and she took a step closer. I stopped my breathing immediately at this and looked at Bella in fear. This stopped and looked at me questioningly. 'It's just that… your scent.' I managed to say with the supply of air I had in my lungs. 'Oh, I guess we'll have to work on that.' Bella smiled.

This was all very unreal. The girl I had wanted to drain in the afternoon had just told me she loved me and I had told her the same. For any normal human this would be ridiculous but a vampire just knows when he meets his soulmate. Bella yawned then and I figured it was time she got some more sleep. 'I guess I need to get back to bed.' Bella said, voicing my thoughts. I picked her up bridal style and jumped back into her room. I had stopped breathing again just to be sure and was glad Bella didn't ask anything about that. I place Bella on her bed and tugged her in before turning around and going back to the window.

'I'll see you tomorrow at school right?' Bella asked sleepily from her bed. I turned around and nodded at which her beautiful smile once again appeared on her face. She then closed her eyes and soon her breathing slowed which told me she was asleep again. I quickly jumped out of her window and started running back home. The others had to know about what I had done and what my plans were now. I also had to talk to Carlisle about the whole irresistible blood thing as I couldn't even properly be near Bella now.

When I neared the house I collected my thoughts about what I would tell them first. I guess just saying that Bella would in fact be joining our family was the best way to do it though Rosalie would probably cause a fuss about it.

I walked into the house to be met by an extremely curious gaze from both Jasper and Melody. The girl had been sleeping less and less lately which Carlisle thought had to do with her species but he wasn't sure as we still didn't know what she was exactly. Melody herself didn't seem bothered by the lack of sleep though she didn't mind sleeping either. She just didn't seem to need the sleep just like vampires didn't need to breath.

'You're really happy.' Jasper stated, not even bothering to make a question out of it. I just shrugged but decided not to reply to that just yet. 'Where are the others?' I asked instead as I couldn't hear any of them. 'Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme went hunting.' Jasper answered. 'And Alice went off on her own.' Melody added. 'I guess I'll have to wait for them to come back then.' I shrugged and moved to the piano to spend the time playing.

I only had to wait a little more than half an hour before the rest of my family came home. I could tell that they all noticed Bella's scent which was all over me. _Great, the little human has found her way into our family. Good job little brother._ Rosalie hissed in her thoughts. I swallowed hard but didn't reply as I didn't really need more trouble with Rosalie than I already had. Alice came home last and she once again had a familiar scent on her which none of us could place. She was smiling at me and I knew she had already seen what had happened or at least what was going to happen. She knew that Bella would indeed become her best friend.

'What happened, son?' Carlisle asked then. I turned to everyone and motioned for them to sit down which they thankfully did without asking questions. They all looked at me expectantly and, even though I was kind of afraid for their reactions, I told them what had happened with Bella earlier.

As I had expected, they all had an opinion about it. Rosalie, of course, was completely against everything that had anything to do with Bella. I chose to ignore her though she didn't make it easy for me to do so as she kept sniping at me in her thoughts. 'Dude, awesome that you finally found someone.' Emmett boomed. He jumped up and clapped me hard on the shoulder before an extremely happy grin appeared on his face. 'This means I'll get another little sister!' He said happily.

I smiled at my brother and gave him a thankful nod. I turned to the rest of my family and focussed on Esme and Carlisle. Their thoughts were both the same: accepting. Of course, Carlisle wouldn't be Carlisle if he didn't voice his thoughts out loud for the benefit of the others. 'I'm glad you've found your soulmate, son. Though I do believe you have to be extremely careful with Bella until you've gotten control of your bloodlust around her.' He said to me before turning to Jasper. I read in his mind what he was going to ask and was glad he did it for me because asking myself would be kind of embarrassing. 'Jasper, could you help Edward with this? You know what it's like to have to gain control of your bloodlust for someone you care about so I know you can do this.' Jasper nodded but didn't say anything.

As Esme had the same thoughts as Carlisle she just smiled at me lovingly. Alice was grinning smugly and I knew this was because she had been right about Bella joining the family. The only ones who hadn't really reacted to my story were Jasper and Melody. True, Jasper had agreed to help me when Carlisle asked and had stated that I was happy but that was it. 'Jasper… Melody… what do you think about all this?' I asked. I had to know their opinions about this as they were a part of the family as well.

Jasper looked at Melody for a second, probably having a quick silent conversation, before they both turned to face me. 'Edward, you were dead set against having Melody in the family. You were the first to say we had to put her up for adoption.' I saw Jasper pull Melody closer and I couldn't help but feel guilty that I had been the one who had wanted to separate them. 'You were also the one who has been hostile since we decided to let Melody stay with us. Your main reason had been that Melody would be an exposure risk.' Jasper stopped here and I knew he wanted what he had said to sink in before he continued.

When Jasper could tell I understood what he had said completely he continued. 'Bella will be a much bigger exposure risk than Melody ever was or ever will be. Furthermore, Bella's enemies will find her and when they do, they'll come here.' Jasper was now looking at me as if expecting me to say something. It took me just a second to figure out what this "something" was. I hung my head and said what I knew I had to. 'Melody, Jasper… I'm sorry.' I apologized.

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**Review, review, review, review! (please?)**

**~Marieke~**


	29. Secrets revealed

**I'm so sorry for this late update... I just had an extremely weird time since I posted the previous chapter.**

**One thing that happened was that my best friend from Japan came to Holland to visit me last week on Wednesday until this week Tuesday. This meant I couldn't really write as we were going to different places every day. **

**The next this that happened was the disaster in Japan last Friday. As I've spend half a year in Japan in 2009 and another month in 2010 this really hurt me. I've got a lot of friends in Japan so I was glued to the t.v. to follow the news. I also spend a lot of time translating the news to my Japanese friend.  
You have no idea how relieved I was when I heard from all my friends that they were alright. One of my friends was actually in Sendai when the earthquake hit but she and her family got away before the tsunami came so they are okay as well.**

**I'm still waking up with the news (CNN mostly as the Dutch news kind of sucks). I'm more on facebook than ever to follow how my friends are doing and I've never been so tense as I've been since Friday.**

**Even though all this is going on I still managed to write a nice long chapter for you guys :) **

**Thank you all for the reviews you send me! It made me feel better even through all the stress ^_^ **

**Jasper, Bella and Zackary POV. I've noticed in the reviews I got that Zackary is becoming popular so I'll try to write more from his POV :)**

**Enjoy! **

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**Jasper POV**

Everyone who would walk into the cafeteria right now would look around and see nothing special. Just a bunch of students sitting at different tables, talking about school, homework, clothing, football and who knows what else. Even if that one person would look at the Cullen table they wouldn't really think anything weird. We were just sitting there, minding our own business while enjoying lunch. That was the way any human would see us at the moment. For us, however, this wasn't really the case.

For one, we were vampires but that was beside the point at the moment. The biggest problem was the tension that was hanging around the table. Ever since Edward had come to the conclusion that he was in love with Bella and that she was his soulmate, he had insisted that Bella would spend time with us at school. Edward's theory was that if they spend time together in school with all of us near Bella would be at a minimum risk of becoming victim to his bloodlust. I had to admit that it was a great plan, accept for the fact that adding Bella to the table caused some tension to say the least.

Rosalie had not accepted the fact that Bella had joined our family and was being hostile towards Bella every chance she got. Edward and Alice were over doing it to try and make Bella feel welcome while Emmett just made jokes all the time about Bella's clumsiness. This meant that right now the emotions at this table were slowly driving me crazy. Hate, shame, joy, concern, love and happiness were all coming from this one table.

I put my head in my hands and let out a sigh. Bella's shame increased at this as did Melody's concern. _Just a few more minutes, then the lunch break will be over._ Melody said. _I know I know… I just wish we could sit somewhere else as the emotions here are driving me crazy.' _I replied. _I know. I can feel the same things you're feeling though I think it's a light version._ Melody said. This was true as the emotions from others became my emotions on some level. I still wasn't really used to the fact that Melody was kind of my personal empath and sometimes I even forgot about that, like now.

'Bella, would you like something else to eat?' Edward asked then. I lifted my head to see Edward offer Bella an apple. Bella took it and muttered a thank you before biting down. Melody placed her hand on Bella's shoulder and gave her a small smile. 'This will get better once Edward can properly control himself.' She said in a human whisper which meant none of the other humans in the room could hear here but all of us could. Edward scowled at Melody's words and I had to almost literally bite my tongue to stop a growl from escaping. I couldn't even kick or hit Edward quickly because Bella was sitting next to me and next to her sat Melody and then came Edward. All of this was to keep Edward from draining Bella and because he only trusted Melody and me to sit next to Bella we were stuck here.

The bell rang then and I let out a sigh in relief that the lunch break was finally over. Melody gave me a quick kiss before grabbing Bella's hand and dragging her off to gym. That was one thing that came out of Edward's decision; Melody and Bella were good friends now. Alice had also gotten what she wanted because Bella and she really got along as sisters. 'Time for history, bro.' Emmett said from behind me. 'I guess so, ready Rose?' I asked my sister. 'Anything that doesn't involve _Bella_ is good for me.' She said, sneering Bella's name. I didn't comment on this and instead grabbed my bag and headed for the history classroom.

As usual, history was extremely boring. What didn't make the lesson much better was Rosalie hissing venomously about Bella under her breath. My last class was English which I had with Melody who was an advanced student when it came to English. Melody was already in class when I came in and gave me one of her angelic smiles. Every time she did this I felt like I could float. I quickly walked to the back of the class and sat down next her. Before I could do so much as give her a kiss on her cheek Emmett walked in and gave me his don't-touch-my-little-sister look. I glared at him and send him a wave of fear which made him stop in his tracks and look behind him as if he was being followed.

'Jasper, that's not fair.' Melody giggled. Emmett shot me an angry look and sat down in front of me while huffing loudly. This was the one class that Rosalie didn't have with Emmett so luckily this lesson would be free of angry hissing. We had to start on essays about what we wanted in our future. Normally I hated writing about future hopes and dreams as I never really had them but now I did. I had lots of future dreams and hopes now and they all included Melody.

Halfway through class I had finished my essay but as this wasn't normal for a human I just took another sheet of paper and started on something else. I peeked next to me and saw Melody had started on a second one as well. Of course she saw me looking at her paper and she pushed it under her notepad before I could read anything. 'You know, Bella is coming over this afternoon to meet mom and dad.' Melody said in an attempt to change the subject. I had to admit it was working as she kind of shocked me with that bit of information.

'She's coming to the house?' I asked, completely forgetting about pretending to write my essay. 'Yes, she told me so in gym. Apparently Eddie-boy send her a text message this morning about it. He wants her to meet his entire family, so mom and dad included.' Melody shrugged. 'Well, there goes the plan to play catch this afternoon.' Emmett murmured and I felt annoyance coming from him. I chuckled at his reaction though I shared his opinion. Playing catch meant Melody would fly up and throw the ball to either Emmett or I at a high speed. After the one time Emmett destroyed Esme's wall with his throw he was refrained from throwing towards me but he didn't mind. Throwing the ball a few miles into the sky was fun enough for him.

Now that plan was out the window as Bella would be coming and she didn't know about Melody's flying abilities. Edward had point blank refused to let Bella know about Melody's secret as it might be more than the human girl could handle. 'I guess so but I'm more worried about Bella and Rosalie being home at the same time.' Melody said. 'You've got a point there, little sis.' Emmett said. 'Though I guess I can lure Rose away if things get too bad.' He continued and I could feel his lust increasing as he thought about things I didn't want to know. 'Emmett, think about something else please.' I hissed. 'Oops, sorry.' Emmett grinned and I felt the lust become less.

The rest of the English lesson passed without anymore sudden conversations or heightened emotions. As we had the entire week to write, check and rewrite our essays we didn't get any other homework. We headed towards the lockers together but had to split up as Emmett's locker was around the corner. 'Melody, Jasper!' I looked around and saw Bella running, or rather stumbling towards us. She really wasn't steady on her feet and I started wondering how long it would take her fall and draw blood. I quickly shook my head to get rid of that thought and made a mental note to catch her if she ever did fall.

'Edward said I could ride with you guys as he doesn't trust himself with me in a car just yet.' Bella said, sounding extremely out of breath as if she had run towards us from her Biology class. I could feel a lot of excitement coming from her so that might have actually run here. I did get it though; going to a house full of vampires wasn't something a human did every day. I had wondered this morning why Edward had wanted Melody and me to go to school with the Mercedes but now I understood.

'Great that Edward actually shared that with us beforehand.' Melody muttered only loud enough for me to hear before addressing Bella. 'Sure, no problem.' She said with a smile but I could feel that she was still feeling annoyance towards Edward. _I'm so going to tell Edward that this isn't the way things are supposed to be done._ Melody growled in her thoughts. I send her a small calming wave which was answered by a small smile from her. 'We just have to throw some books in our lockers and then we can go.' I told Bella who nodded and waited impatiently for us to finish.

Melody, sensing Bella's impatience through me, threw all of her books into the locker quickly. I copied her and closed the locker door so that we could go to the car. We walked to the parking lot and I could feel Bella's confusion as the silver Volvo we usually used wasn't there anymore. 'Uhm… are we going to run?' Bella asked a bit uncertain. 'No, the black Mercedes will have to do for now.' I chuckled as I let the way to the car.

By the time we got to the house Bella's excitement had grown to extreme proportions and I had to throw a calming wave at her every five minutes. Alice came bounding into the garage once Bella was out of the car and hugged her tight. 'I'm going to take Bella inside and have a bit of girl time before Edward comes back from his hunt. Mel, do you want to join?' Alice said. Melody shook her head and came to stand next to me. 'I was thinking about going for a run before dad comes home.' Melody said, looking at me expectantly.

'I would love that.' I replied with a smile to my girl. 'But… how?' Bella asked and I could feel her concern towards Melody. 'What do you mean with "how"?' I asked, not really understanding where her concern was coming from as she had already seen how Melody would run with me if she had to pretend to be human. 'I mean that your eyes are dark so a run for you would involve hunting right? Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous for Melody?' Bella asked while her concern grew. 'I'll be fine, don't worry.' Melody assured Bella before I could say anything. Bella relaxed a bit and I could feel her concern decrease a bit.

Before Bella could ask anything else Alice grabbed her hand and towed her out of the garage. When Alice and Bella had disappeared I took Melody's hand and let us out of the garage to a space that wasn't visible from the living room where Bella would now be. Melody stood still for a second before her beautiful wings spread out behind her. It still amazed me that her wings just went through her clothes without tearing them apart. 'See you in a bit.' Melody said and launched herself into the air at top speed.

I raced into the forest to hunt while Melody followed in the sky. I soon came across the scent of a cougar and gave myself over to my senses. Racing through the forest I noticed the cougar was slowing down so I did the same. I situated myself downwind so that the cougar wouldn't notice me as I watched its movements. Then it made the mistake to lie down. I jumped towards the animal and before it noticed me it was over. Normally I enjoyed a nice hunt and a bit of a fight but not today. I quickly drained the cougar and buried it before using my senses to locate a herd of elk. As usual the elk didn't put up any fight and just tried to run. I quickly caught one and drained it quickly.

_You ready?_ Melody asked as she probably felt that my thirst had been quenched. _I'm ready._ I told her before racing to the nearest small clearing. As Melody flew down a bit I readied myself and jumped into the air. When I reached my limit Melody grabbed me and pulled me close so that I could position myself more comfortable. I put my arm around Melody's waist and held her tight as she started to fly higher. When we were just below the clouds Melody inhaled deeply and I could practically see the happiness coming from her. This was the place she loved most, up in the sky and totally free.

We flew for about an hour before we had to go back. Melody dropped me a few miles from the house and we had a race back. I had the lead most of the time but then Melody began her extremely fast decent in which she used the gravity to her advantage. 'I win!' She called as she flew inside a second before I ran in. I wanted to reply to that but was hit by a wave of shock which stopped me in my tracks just behind Melody. Bella was staring at us from the couch, her eyes glued on Melody's wings. She started to say something but whatever it was was lost as her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.

**Bella POV**

Alice dragged me from the garage and before I could even look at something in the living room she had towed me upstairs and into her bathroom. 'Alice, why are we here?' I asked suspiciously. 'Well, we can't let you meet the parents looking like you've just come from school.' Alice chirped happily. Okay, I should have expected that though I wasn't going to back down even though I knew I would lose in the end. 'Alice, I did just come from school.' I said slowly. 'I know, but that doesn't mean you have to look like that. Especially with me as your best friend.' Alice replied before rushing out of the bathroom only to return a second later with a curling iron in her hands.

I groaned at the prospect of being Bella Barbie once again but I knew there was nothing I could do that was going to stop Alice. As Alice started doing my hair I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to the things Edward and I had accomplished over the past few weeks. We had started at opposite sides of the lunch table and I knew that Jasper had to work hard to keep Edward's bloodlust under control. Edward had also insisted that he wanted Melody and Jasper to sit next to me as Melody didn't have any bloodlust and Jasper was in the most control as his soulmate has blood flowing through her veins.

We were now at a point that Edward could sit closer to me with only one person in between. It still hurt Edward's throat when my scent hit him but it didn't drive him crazy anymore. I had also noticed that Melody and Edward were getting along better now though they still had a long way to go. They were actually talking at tiny bit during lunch as I had insisted on this. At first this was nothing more than a greeting and a goodbye but they were now having small conversations every now and then. I was glad for this as Melody had become a good friend and it felt good to have a human friend among all the vampires.

As Alice continued her battle with my hair the door to the bathroom opened. I looked in the mirror and saw Edward standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. His eyes were a soft butterscotch now and the shadows under his eyes were gone. 'I see Alice has gotten a hold of you.' Edward said. 'That is an understatement.' I replied while Alice started on my make-up. 'Edward, we can't use you here so go downstairs to wait.' Alice then said though she didn't take her time to look at Edward while doing so. I saw Edward roll his eyes before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

'Alice, was that really necessary?' I asked. 'Yes, it was. He couldn't help with anything here and would only stand in the way. You'll see him in a few minutes so stop complaining.' Alice said this as if it solved everything. I sighed but let it slide as Alice continued to work on me.

'Almost done.' Alice said past the make-up brush she had in her mouth. I felt Alice pull a few strands of hair in place before she stepped back. 'There, all done.' She said proudly as if I was her masterpiece that was going to be sold for a million dollars. Before I could say this to her Alice moved aside so that I could look in the mirror. I had to admit that what she had done wasn't that bad. My hair was curly now and half of it was pulled into a bun at the back of my head. The make-up wasn't as bad as I had thought either. Alice had only used make-up that made my natural features stand out more.

'Okay, now it's time for proper clothing.' Alice chirped happily but this time I was in time to stop her. 'Alice, I have to admit that the hair and make-up look great but I get to keep my own clothes.' I told her sternly. Alice pouted at that but I wasn't going to give in. I liked my clothes so Alice would just have to be happy with being able to mess with my hair and make-up. 'Fine.' Was all Alice said when she noticed I wasn't going to give in. She stepped aside so that I could leave the room and I quickly took the opportunity.

I raced, as fast as I could without falling, down the stairs and immediately spotted Edward on one of the couches. I slowed down and carefully walked towards him so that he had enough time to get accustomed to my scent coming closer. Edward turned around when I was halfway and smiled at me. 'You can go faster than that if you want to.' He chuckled. I blushed and hurried over though I sat down on the other couch. Alice soon joined us and sat down next to me. 'So Edward, are you going to let Bella sit next to you?' she asked while looking expectantly at Edward.

I saw Edward's face turn to one of concern but before I could say that I was fine sitting here Alice continued. 'I haven't seen anything in her future about her life ending so just try it already.' She said. Alice then proceeded in pulling me of the couch and pushing me towards the other couch before Edward or I could react to her statement. I tried to land gracefully, or at least as graceful as possible, on the couch but being me I stumbled at the last second and fell face down towards the ground.

Before I could throw my hands forward to break my fall I hit something hard and my decent to the floor stopped abruptly. I opened my eyes, though I didn't remember closing them, and saw Edward looking at me in concern. He didn't say anything as he pulled me back with his other hand and I noticed that he wasn't breathing. When I got my balance back I sat down slowly next to Edward. He was still holding his breath and I could tell that he was afraid to breathe. I took a deep breath myself, ignored Alice who was practically bouncing in her seat, and put my hand over Edward's hand.

His hand felt cold and warm at the same time and a small electric shock go through my body the moment our hands touched. Edward stayed completely still as I inched closer and closer until our legs and shoulders were touching. 'Breathe Edward.' Alice said. I looked at Edward expectantly but remained quiet and as still as possible. Edward's eyes were filled with fear but we had to get past this so I nodded my head slightly to tell him it was okay.

Edward closed his eyes and inhaled slightly. To my surprise he didn't cringe away from my scent and instead he inhaled deeper. I waited patiently for Edward to give any sign that he was alright. After about a minute Edward started opening his eyes and I was glad to see that his eyes were still the butterscotch they had been before. 'Edward, are you okay?' I asked when he didn't say anything. 'I'm… fine.' Edward replied, the surprise over this clear in his eyes. He then inhaled again, this time with his eyes open, and I didn't see his eyes grow dark. Alice however, did. 'See Edward, no problems. You're eyes have only gotten the tiniest bit darker. I bet Bella can't even see the difference.' Alice said smugly.

I rolled my eyes at my best friend and turned back to my soulmate who had now relaxed into a normal sitting position instead of a back-straight nervous position. I carefully placed my head on his shoulder and relaxed, closing my eyes. We were going to get past this, I was sure now. It didn't take Edward long to react to my leaning against him. He lifted his arm carefully and placed it around my shoulders. I took advantage of this and snuggled closer and letting out a sigh of contentment.

'What a lovely sight.' I opened my eyes and saw Esme standing a few feet away from us with Carlisle behind her. I had never seen Esme up close like this. I had seen her from a distance once in the hospital where I had to go after cutting myself with a kitchen knife so deep I needed stitches. She had waved at me but hadn't come closer, probably because of the blood. Charlie had seen me waving back and had told me who she was though I had already guessed as much.

'It's good to see you well, Bella.' Carlisle said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smiled at him in return as I knew he was talking about the fact that this whole experiment could have gone entirely wrong. Esme looked at Edward who nodded, probably at a question she had asked him in her thoughts. Edward then lifted his arm from my shoulders and before I could protest I was pulled into a hug by Esme. It wasn't a bear hug like Emmett always gave me; this was a hug only a mother could give.

After Esme came Carlisle who just shook my hand and formally introduced himself to me. We all sat down and I drank my tea which Esme had made me while I was talking to Carlisle. 'I think I hear Jasper and Melody coming home.' Esme said after we had talked for over half an hour. I sat up straight, as I had once again been leaning against Edward, and looked at the door expectantly. I really wanted to show Melody what Edward and I had accomplished.

'I win!' Melody called from outside. Before I could even stand up to greet her something happened I had never thought possible. Melody, the human girl I had met at school, came flying into the house. Not as if she had been thrown but literally flying like a bird and as a bird she had wings! Brown wings which came from her back as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I opened my mouth but no sound came out of it. I just stared at the wings… and then everything went black.

'You should have let them tell her sooner.' A strong voice, Rosalie, snapped. 'That would have the same effect, Rosalie.' Another voice, Edward, hissed. 'This isn't helping, you two know that right?' A third voice, Carlisle, said. A sigh and a cold hand on my forehead, Edward. Come to think of it, I wasn't lying completely flat on my back. I was lying with my head on something, someone hard. Okay, time to open my eyes and face the truth.

'Bella!' Was the first thing I heard from a very relieved Edward when my eyes had opened. I gave him a small smile in return and tried to sit up. 'Not too fast, Bella.' Carlisle said from somewhere to my right. I turned my head to see that he was looking at me in concern. 'I'm fine, Carlisle.' I told him. When he didn't say anything I tried to sit up again and this time succeeded without someone stopping me.

I looked around the room and saw that Alice, Melody and Jasper were nowhere in sight. On the other hand, Emmett and Rosalie had returned from their hunt and were now sitting on the other couch. 'Where are the others?' I asked after I was absolutely sure that my three friends weren't in the room. 'I send Jasper and Melody upstairs after you fainted. I thought that seeing them now might shock you again.' Carlisle explained. 'And Alice?' I asked. 'She had a vision and ran out the door without telling any of us what she had seen.' Edward said annoyed. He had told me he didn't like the fact that Alice her thoughts, and therefore her visions, were silent to him.

'Who cares about that now.' Rosalie snapped. 'I would really like to know why my brother and sister were send away in their own house.' I wasn't sure but I thought I heard a hiss come from Edward but I dismissed this for later. Instead I turned to Carlisle who had been the one who send them away. 'Jasper and Melody can come back now. I'm not sure how I feel about what I saw earlier but I do know that both Melody and Jasper are my friends.' I told Carlisle.

'You mean that?' I turned around and saw Melody, wings and all, standing on the stairs and looking at me in concern. Behind her stood Jasper, his arm around Melody's shoulders and a guilty look in his eyes. I got up from the couch and walked towards my friends who walked further down the stairs as I came closer. When Melody's feet touched the floor I hugged her tight and was glad when she hugged me back. 'Yes, I mean it.' I told her. 'Though I will have to get used to the wings, Mel.'

Melody, Jasper and I walked back to the others and I sat down next to Edward again while Jasper and Melody sat on the loveseat. 'I guess you'd like to hear my story now.' Melody said. I shook my head as I realised I was staring at her wings again. 'Yes, that would help.' I laughed and leaned back against Edward who seemed completely at ease with me close.

Melody began her story then. She told about how Jasper had found her, how the family had been divided about whether or not they should keep her and about how they had no choice once her wings appeared. Next she told me about how she had gotten powers as she grew. How she could mentally talk to people who she had a link with and that her link with Jasper had always been the strongest. Lastly she told me about a guy just like her who was named Zackary who had attacked them in the past.

'So you have no idea what you are exactly?' I asked as Melody finished. 'No… we're still trying to figure that out.' Melody said sadly. 'Well, I'm sure you'll find out what you are. You're the smartest person I know and that is with counting vampires.' I told her with a smile. 'I guess so.' Melody replied and a small smile appeared on her face. After this we just talked about all kinds of things while Melody and I drank tea.

**Zackary POV**

The decision. I had already put it off for two weeks now. I had been ignoring the Master's calls as well and that was bound to get me into trouble. The Seer had been bothering me constantly for the past three weeks now and she was really starting to get on my last nerve. To make matters worse, Alice had contacted me that today was the day of her vision. The vision in which I would meet her family. I knew that vision by heart and I knew she was right. Alice had shown me what her family was wearing today and it was the same as in the vision.

I had to make a choice now. Was I going to chose Alice, my soulmate, and her family or was I going to stick with my own family and risk losing Alice forever. I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the tree I had been sitting in all morning. The thing that bothered me the most was that Alice wasn't sure about the future and I knew why. As she had given me permission to watch her visions through our link I knew exactly why she was worried. Her visions kept changing between three futures. One was a future of me coming with her to meet her family. Another vision was one of me choosing my own family and taking Alice with me. The last vision was one of me choosing my family and leaving Alice.

As I was still deliberating on what I should do the visions kept changing but I had to make a decision soon. Alice told me she was on her way as she had a vision of me making a decision and her being with me when I did. I had told her where I was waiting but I still had no idea what I was going to do. One thing was becoming more and more clear though, I was definitely not leaving Alice behind. If choosing my own family would mean leaving Alice I wasn't going for that.

'Master Zackary, the Master is waiting.' I groaned and slapped my palm against my forehead. 'What are you doing here, Seer? I so do not want to talk to you right now.' I said without looking up to her. I heard a branch move and a second later the Seer was standing in front of me. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. 'So… you gonna tell me why you're trying to kill me by glaring?' I drawled. To my extreme annoyance the Seer didn't move or say anything. She just stood there, glaring. 'Fine, have it your way, I'll move.' I said and started walking away.

I was about to tell Alice to head somewhere else when the Seer spoke. 'Master Zackary, I don't know what you're thinking but I do know that your future is becoming less and less clear. The Master is waiting and I hope you don't keep him waiting. Choose wisely Master Zackary.' The Seer warned before flaming out.

As her flame disappeared, Alice arrived. 'What was that? Who was that?' She asked and I could see the concern on her face. 'An old acquaintance.' I told her. 'You sound bitter, not a very good acquaintance?' Alice asked, a smirk appearing on her face. 'Yeah, you could say that.' Before she could say anything else about the Seer I pulled her close and kissed her gently on her lips. 'I missed you.' I whispered when I broke the kiss. 'I missed you too… and I'm worried.' She whispered back as she laid her head on my chest. I put my arms around her and hugged her tight. 'I know, I know. It's the visions right?' Alice just nodded and I knew she wanted me to talk. 'You might have seen that I've already decided not to leave you.' I told her to which she nodded again. 'I know that, but I still don't know what you're going to choose. I don't want to leave my family, but for you I just might.'

Alice sounded sad and scared and I cursed myself mentally for it. I was the one making her feel like this and I hated it. I wouldn't make her sad; I wasn't going to make her choose. She was my life ever since I admitted my feelings to her, no even before that. 'Alice, don't worry― 'You're going to choose me and my family.' Alice finished for me and I stepped back in time to see her come out of a short vision. I hadn't seen this one as I was thinking about my own decision too much but I didn't have to see the vision to know what it was about. It was the vision from a few years ago but this time it was final.

A huge grin spread across Alice her face and before I could react she jumped at me and we both fell down on the forest floor. 'I love you.' I whispered as I stroked her cheek. 'I love you too.' She whispered back. 'This is going to cause a lot of trouble.' I said between kisses. 'I know, but for once I'm fine with not knowing the exact future. The present is what I want to think about now.' Alice replied and before I could say anything she pressed her lips to mine and I eagerly kissed back.

An hour later I had taken to the sky while Alice went hunting. We met up again at about two miles from the house from where I picked her up and flew to the house carrying her in my arms. I landed right in front of the forest edge across from the front door and let Alice down. 'You ready?' Alice asked though I could hear that she wasn't entirely ready either. Her visions kept changing as the others didn't know what was going to happen and therefore hadn't made a decision either.

I put my arm around Alice her waist and nudged her towards the door. As we came closer I heard the others inside move around and I knew they could hear our approach. Alice took an entirely unnecessary breath just to calm herself and opened the door. We were met by the family who were standing exactly like Alice had seen in her vision a few years ago. Carlisle was standing in front of the others as the head of his family. Behind him stood Emmett and just behind him Rosalie and Esme. Jasper was standing next to Emmett and had his arms around Melody's waist. Both of them were looking at me curiously but I wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad sign. Edward was glaring while holding the previously unknown girl who Alice told me earlier was Bella Swan.

Alice closed the door behind us and I could feel all of their eyes following me as we went to stand in front of them. 'Alice… any explanation as to why the one who has tried to kill Jasper and Melody is now standing in our living room.' Carlisle said as he looked from me to Alice and back again. 'Carlisle, everyone, this is my soulmate.' Alice chirped happily and I had to restrain myself not to face-palm in front of everyone. I really did love Alice but she was really not good in reading situations correctly. This situation did not call for a happy answer as everyone in this room was clearly cautious at the moment.

'I'm sorry for everything I had done and I'm willing to explain.' I said as humble as I could. 'Dude, you almost _killed_ my brother and baby sister. I don't think you have the right to ask us for forgiveness, man.' Emmett growled. 'Yeah, let's not listen to my story.' I said sarcastically, immediately forgetting to be humble. If this vampire-goon wanted to do it this way he would get it this way. 'Yeah, you're really in a position to use sarcasm.' Rosalie hissed. This was going to be just great… I could already see a disaster coming in fast.

'Emmett, Rosalie, stop this. Zackary came here to meet us and Alice trusts him.' Carlisle said to the two vampires who growled but didn't reply. 'Zackary, welcome to my house but I would like to know why you are here and so does everyone else.' Carlisle said directly to me. I pushed my sarcastic self back and pulled my humble self back. 'Yes, I'm willing to explain everything but I think it might be easier for the human over there to sit down.' I said while looking at Bella. She didn't seem to be standing on her own anymore and I was sure that when Edward would release her she would fall down. Carlisle seemed to notice the same as he told everyone to sit down.

Everyone sat down while Esme brought Bella, Melody and me drinks. Emmett was holding Rosalie protectively and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. Edward had wanted to do the same to Bella but to my surprise she wanted to sit normally and said that if Alice trusted me, so did she. Melody was sitting on Jasper's lap but both of them were just looking at me curiously. I understood that perfectly as I hadn't really been the friendliest person they ever met and now I was here in their home trying to be friendly. To make matters even more interesting their sister had just told them I was her soulmate.

'Can I ask something before you begin your story, Zackary?' Melody asked after a few minutes of nice uncomfortable silence. Glad I wasn't the one to break the silence I turned to Melody. 'Sure, you can ask me everything, little sis.' I replied. It took me a moment to notice that everyone, even the human, had stopped breathing. Then it hit me that I had made a mistake but before I could explain Jasper spoke. 'You said little sis… Why did you say little sis?' He asked, sounding extremely confused. I rolled my eyes as I had just wanted to explain that.

'Gee, I wonder why someone would call someone else his little sister.' I drawled. At his Alice poked me in my side but I just shrugged. _They will have to accept me for who I am right? So I'm just going to be me from now on. Humbleness just really isn't me._ I told Alice. _Fine… you're lucky this doesn't change anything in the future._ Alice growled but I could tell she wasn't really angry. 'You mean… you mean you're my brother?' Melody asked. 'Well, half-brother to be exact. We share the same father.' I explained. 'You are her brother… and you tried to kill her?' Emmett asked perplexed.

I let a sigh escape at this. If they would just let me tell my story then all their questions would probably be answered. 'I thought I'd be able to explain that when I told my story but if you want it non-chronologically then I guess I could do that too.' I told him. 'But first, I believe Melody had a question for me.' 'Uhm… yes… We have been searching for anything that could tell us what I am. I was wondering… could you tell me?' Melody asked expectantly. I could see the curiosity burning in her eyes as she had wanted to know this for so long. 'I'm kind of surprised that you haven't figured it out by yourself, Mel. We are creatures who fly, have special powers and who can create and manipulate fire.' Melody nodded but it didn't seem like she was putting the pieces of the puzzle together so it was up to me to tell her. 'Melody, you're a phoenix.'

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**So... Secrets revealed... Bella knows about Melody and Melody found out she has a (half)brother and what she is! **

**As this is something a lot of you wanted to know I would love (and I mean really really really love!) to know what you think! **

**~Marieke~**


	30. Questions and answers

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**In this chapter: Zackary and Jasper POV :) enjoy ^_^ (and remember: read and review!)**

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**Zackary POV**

My statement was met by stares and silence. No one said anything and both Bella and Melody had their mouths hanging open. In any other situation I would have laughed but right now really wasn't the time. So instead of laughing I just made a comment. 'Girls, your mouths are hanging open.' Both Bella and Melody snapped their mouths shut at the same time and I heard Emmett laugh though he was trying hard to hide it behind his hands.

'A phoenix… yes that explains everything!' Carlisle said all of a sudden. Everyone turned their heads to Carlisle who was standing by now. His eyes were sparkling with the information I had just given him and I could almost see the pieces of the puzzle falling together in his mind. 'Well, I'm glad you're happy now Carlisle but I think Zackary owes us an explanation.' Jasper said.

'I guess I do, don't I.' I smirked. 'Okay… where to begin.' 'Try the beginning.' Rosalie sneered. I gave her a glare before focusing on the rest of the family. 'Fine, the beginning. I was born over a thousand years ago when civilisation was quite a bit different from what it is today. People truly believed in God and everything that was different from what they were used to was instantly known as evil. We, that is phoenixes, weren't in hiding as we are now. We were free to fly across the skies as soon as our wings appeared and used our powers to help those who needed it.

'Several legends came into existence over the years, some positive, some negative. For me, the negative ones were the ones created by the church. They saw us as angels and thought we helped them purify the only real faith. As we were always there when someone got burned, the people started to believe the priests. What they didn't know is that we helped the already doomed human move on more quickly by making the flames too hot. This would cause the victim to lose consciousness and wouldn't feel the flames anymore.'

'Why didn't you just safe them instead of letting them be burned alive?' Carlisle asked, curiosity burning in his eyes. 'We are not allowed to interfere in human decisions. All we can do is make sure that no one suffers. This doesn't always work though and at those times we make sure people don't suffer more than necessary.' I explained. 'You are not allowed to interfere? Don't you mean you don't want to?' Rosalie sneered but before I could react, Melody did it for me. 'Every species have laws and they probably have them too, Rose.' She said. Rosalie glared at me but gave Melody a smile. 'I guess you're right.' She said to my little sister.

I swallowed a growl as Rosalie was talking to _my_ little sister as if she was her little sister. I had also noticed Emmett treating Melody as his little sister and I knew I would just have to get used to the fact that she wasn't going to be only mine. If I had done as the Master had wanted I would have my sister back for me alone but then again, I wouldn't have Alice.

'Who made the rules?' Esme asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. 'We have the Volturi who made and protect the rules we vampires have to live by.' She continued, probably thinking I didn't know this. 'Yeah, I know all about the Volturi.' I grinned as I thought about the old idiots who sat on their thrown in Volterra, but stopped as every vampire in the room started glaring at me. I coughed to get rid of the last bit of grinning before answering Esme's question. 'Our ruler, known as the Master, made the rules at the beginning of time. No one really knows how long ago this was exactly but then again, no one knows when the beginning of time was exactly.' I shrugged.

'Anyway, we have to obey the rules that were made, and we do. We can't start playing the judges of the human race just because they make wrong decisions every now and then or a lot, whichever. As the years went by, and the church became less powerful we kind of disappeared into the background. As the humans developed long-range weapons we weren't safe in the sky anymore. We weren't needed to help those sentenced to death anymore either as the death sentence was becoming more and more humane.

'Nowadays we live in hiding as researchers find it extremely interesting to try and shoot us down, probably so that they can dissect us.' Melody shuddered at this and I saw Jasper pull her closer while glaring at me. 'You can really stop glaring now, you know. I'm not going to leave if that's your reason for glaring at me.' I told Jasper. It didn't have the effect I had hoped for but at least it caused Jasper to look away though he was still glaring. This time however the object of his glaring was an unfortunate piece of wall instead of me.

'And the Master doesn't have a name?' Esme asked. 'Yes, he does, but no one is allowed to use it. Not even me. When you do use it he'll punish you, and trust me when I say that you really don't want that.' 'You said not even me, what did you mean by that?' Alice asked curiously. I hadn't told her this yet but I guess no was as good a time as any. 'What I meant with that is that as the Master's nephew you'd think he'd let me use his name.' 'You're uncle? You mean to say that… he's my uncle too? Or was it from your mother's side?' Melody asked in shock. 'Nope, from dear old dad's side of the family. That is why I can get away with certain things when others can't.' I shrugged.

While Melody was still looking shocked about this Bella spoke for the first time since I came in. 'So… uhm… what about the whole resurrect thing that comes back in the phoenix stories?' She asked. Glad to have an excuse to not look at Jasper for the moment I turned to answer Bella. 'Yes we resurrect when we die or when we're killed but not always. My mother, for example, didn't resurrect as she died of a disease. It's very unlikely for any of us to die of diseases and all that but there are a few that will get to us.' 'Like what?' Esme asked. 'We can… well… get the flu―' 'The flu? You can get the most normal disease ever and die from it?' Emmett said followed by a booming laugh.

'Yes, Emmett, we can get the flu but I can assure you that would a human get that particular flu they would die instantly.' I smirked as Emmett stopped laughing immediately. 'The flu we get is something the humans, and probably you guys, have never heard of before. When you get it your temperature instantly rises to a hundred and twenty decrees and you will literally burn out. As phoenixes we can handle the extreme heat better than anyone else but it still becomes too much at one point and we die. About five hundred years ago we developed an antidote for it so to catch the disease has become very rare.'

'But it was too late for your mother.' Alice didn't ask this, she said it as she knew it was so. I nodded, 'Yes, my mother died a little over eight hundred years ago when we didn't have an antidote yet.' While Carlisle started muttering to himself about researching the phoenix flu, Melody walked over to me. Before I could ask her what she wanted she bend down and hugged me tight. 'I'm so sorry, Zackary.' She sobbed and I could feel her tears falling on my neck.

A small smile appeared on my face as I hugged her back and pulled her on my lap at the same time. 'It happened a very long time ago, Mel. Don't worry about it.' I told her. Melody pulled back and looked at me with red eyes. 'But… your, no our father died only seventeen years ago.' She whispered as fresh tears fell down her face. I looked at Jasper for help as I had no idea why my sister was crying her eyes out about that at the moment. Jasper got up and walked over though he didn't say anything which made me feel frustrated. I wanted to know what was wrong to my baby sister cry like this.

Without asking anything Jasper lifted Melody off my lap and carried her back to the loveseat. 'Okay, would you mind telling me, and everyone else, why Melody is crying or are you just going to sit there and be silent?' I growled. 'She's remembering the death of her parents and feels sorry for you at the same time. As you will know, she remembers her parents' death very clearly.' Jasper explained in a tone that made it sound as if I was an idiot.

Esme went to get Melody some water and after my sister had calmed down I continued my story. 'Twenty years ago my father remarried and three years later you were born Melody.' I gave her a small smile before continuing. 'It's very rare for a new phoenix to be born to the same person as we normally don't change mates and mates only have one child. No one knew why our father remarried with your mother or their reasons to flee down to earth when you were six months old.'

Melody looked disappointed at this and I felt stupid that I couldn't give her a better explanation. I guessed the Master could tell her but I hoped they would never meet. 'Who send you after Melody, the Master?' Rosalie asked and for the first time it didn't sound like a sneer. 'Yes, he did. Melody is one of us and the thought of her growing up with vampires didn't really sit well with the Master. The only reason that Melody was able to grow up with all of you is because the Seer saw that her powers wouldn't grow properly if we took her back home.' 'Wait, the Seer?' Jasper asked. I swallowed a growl which was stuck in my throat at the moment. Why did they have to keep interrupting me? Seriously. 'Yes, Jasper. The Seer.' I told him in a childish tone which gave me the satisfaction of seeing Jasper scowl at me. Zackary one, Jasper zero.

'I guess you want to know more about that.' Everyone nodded but no one said anything. 'Okay… as you know Melody and I both have powers. Mine is to change my appearance as Melody and Jasper saw a few years back. Come to think of it you can all see it as I don't really look like the vampire you all met over ten years ago.' I said the last part more to myself than to the others but they all nodded in response anyway.

'Anyway, Melody her power is telekinesis and the Seer's power is having premonitions, hence the name Seer.' 'Her name is Seer? Seriously?' Alice asked. I smiled at her and squeezed her hand. 'Nah, her real name is Serena but I never use that name. The Seer has always gotten on my last nerve with her all knowing speeches all the time.' I chuckled. 'Oh…' Alice mumbled. _Don't worry, I promise I won't get tired of you, ever._ I told Alice privately. Her eyes lit up at this and a gorgeous smile appeared on her face.

'What about the fire power thing?' Melody asked. 'Don't worry about that, sis. You'll get that power when you'll need it the most.' I told her. Melody nodded but I could tell she was worried. 'I'll help you when the time comes. The first sign will be your eyes as they change into the colour your fire will be, so really, don't worry.' I don't know if she really did believe me but she didn't say anything else. 'So, the Master only wants my daughter so she doesn't live with vampires?' Carlisle asked. 'I wish that was the only thing, but Melody is his niece which makes her a part of the royal family. Members of the royal family are more powerful than normal phoenixes and they have a duty to uphold the family honour. I'm sorry to admit that I agreed with the Master at first but as I kept watching you and eventually met Alice I saw that I was mistaken.

'You see, we exist to help humans where we can and living with vampires is the exact opposite of doing that. The Master sees every vampire as something evil even though I tried to explain to him over and over that you guys were different. He will try to get Melody and me back even if it's only to punish us for all eternity.' Melody shuddered and I saw Jasper pull her closer in a protective way. 'Don't worry; I won't let our dear uncle take us back to his cosy castle.' I told Melody but I wasn't sure she believed or even heard me.

**Jasper POV**

I could tell that Zackary was really doing his best to make Melody feel at ease but it didn't work so well. She was scared of the whole fire power thing to the point that she had nightmares from it. The most recurring nightmare was that her power came when she was with me and it always ended in her killing me. Luckily the nightmares only came when she would think of the power which wasn't very often. Now, however, Zackary was here and brought it all back for her which probably meant nightmares tonight.

It was also very, and I do mean very, weird that Zackary was Melody's half brother! I mean, the guy tried to kill us more than once and now he claims that he's her brother and will be there for her? Yeah right, or at least, that was what I wanted to say. I couldn't though as I could only feel sincere and true emotions coming from Zackary.

As Zackary had finished his story everyone kind of went on their own way. Rosalie and Emmett went to their room which soon caused Edward to leave the house with Bella. Alice and Zackary went with them in case Edward would lose control. The displeasure to this plan had come from Edward in huge waves.

As the lust from the upstairs bedroom increased I lifted Melody and without asked her anything I raced out of the house. Once we were in the forest I let Melody go and we both ran further until I couldn't feel Emmett and Rosalie anymore. _This is far enough, Mel._ I told her. I stopped but to my surprise Melody kept running. It took her a few seconds to realise I had stopped but when she did she came walking back to me. _I'm sorry, I was just… thinking._ She muttered in her thoughts.

_I know it's a lot to take in._ I agreed. _It's just that… I don't know how to feel right now. He's my brother but he tried to get me away from my family, from you. I can understand it all a little bit after his explanation but… I guess I just have to let everything sink in._ As she said this her emotions started to calm down a bit and I could see her eyes clear. 'I have a brother.' She whispered then and her emotions shifted again but this time to more happy ones. 'You seem happy about that fact at least.' I said. 'Yes, and the fact that I'll be able live forever with you and that I finally know what I am. Zackary was right though, we should have thought of that ourselves.' Melody shook her head and I felt like doing the same.

None of us had thought of phoenixes in our research, not even Carlisle. Then again, whenever you think of a phoenix you don't think of humans with wings, right? Phoenixes were described as large, graceful birds who were actually made of fire and who sang beautiful songs. I had to admit that Melody her voice was beautiful and that when she sang it sounded like bells from heaven but still, she wasn't a fire bird. I did really like that fact that Melody would be with me forever which meant no more worrying about that.

We had gotten quite a few answers today but also a lot of worries. If that master really wanted Melody back that badly it would only be a matter of time before he did. I was also still interested in the reason why Melody's parents came to earth when they did and why they didn't protect themselves better against the vampire that destroyed them in the end. It didn't make any sense as phoenixes were as strong, or even stronger, than vampires. Another mystery was the lighter I had found in Melody's father's hand. Why would a phoenix need a lighter to begin with?

'I don't know, but I'm sure my parents had a good reason for what they did.' Melody mused. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Melody questioningly. 'You were thinking out loud.' Melody shrugged. 'I guess we now know why that sandy brown feather felt so familiar to you.' I said after a few minutes of silence. 'Yeah, my brother's feather would feel familiar to me. I wonder if Zack can tell me to whom the other feather I have belonged to.'

We both lapsed into a comfortable silence after this and eventually Melody let herself fall down and lay down on the ground with her eyes closed. As I sat down next to her the clouds moved and the last of the afternoon sun shone down on us. I started sparkling instantly and shook my head at the diamonds on my skin. If there was one thing totally not cool about being a vampire it was the whole sparkling thing. None of the legends ever said anything about that and I was sure that if they did, people would laugh at us.

'What are you thinking about?' Melody asked. 'I'm getting better at reading your emotions and I think you're feeling a bit of disappointment now.' 'I was just thinking about the whole sparkling thing.' I told her, motioning to the sun and then myself to emphasise my point. 'I think it cute.' Melody giggled and I could feel her amusement. 'O really?' I asked as I stood up and crouched down with a grin on my face. 'Yeah, really.' Melody grinned as she got up as well.

I growled playfully and launched at her before she was completely standing. 'Not fair!' Melody giggled as I send her flying backwards. She made summersault midair and unfolded her wings at the same time. She then spread her wings and landed on the ground in a slide with her head bowed down. When she stopped she lifted her head and a large grin was visible on her face. Her eyes were sparkling with joy.

Soon enough we were play fighting for real and neither of us was getting the upper hand. We were too evenly matched which meant that both of us was hitting the ground quite a lot and I figured that Alice would have a fit about how our clothes looked at the moment. My temporary laps in concentration caused me dearly as I felt a force hit me from behind that send me flying forward fast. Before I could stop myself I crash landed through a tree and fell face down on the ground. I spit out a bit of earth and jumped up on my feet.

I was about to launch myself back at Melody, who was laughing at me from a tree branch, when a smell hit me hard. It was the smell of vampire but it wasn't anyone I recognized. Melody sensed my change in emotions and came to send next to me. _What is it?_ She asked while scanning the trees around us. _Unknown vampire._ Was my short reply but I knew Melody understood. _The scent is coming from over there._ I said, pointing towards thick bushes about fifty yards behind the tree I had just flown through.

We both strained our ears and soon enough we heard soft footfalls coming towards us. Anytime now we would be able to see the stranger. Too bad the sun had once again disappeared behind the clouds otherwise the vampire would just be lighting up like a disco ball and become an easy target. _There, those bushes are moving._ Melody pointed out. Sure enough the thick bushes were moving and out of them stepped a female vampire with long dark hair. She had her head bowed down so her face wasn't visible and she looked weak.

'Who are you?' I asked when the vampire didn't move or say anything. Even though the vampire was still about fifty yards away from us I knew she would be able to hear me. 'I… I…' the vampire mumbled before grabbing her throat with one hand and holding a tree for support with the other. 'She's thirsty.' Melody whispered. I couldn't agree more and pulled Melody behind me. I crouched down protectively and waited for the other vampire to make the first move. I knew enough about thirsty vampires to know that they would go for the first meal they found and in this case, that first meal was Melody.

The vampire tried to take a breath but that only made her throat burn more. I could feel how thirsty she was and it was soon going to be too much for her. As I thought this she lifted her head and what I saw surprised me. This was a newborn; her eyes were still bright red though they had dulled a bit because of the thirst. I was surprised that a newborn could have so much self control. 'No…' Melody breathed from behind me. I couldn't risk turning around to look at her expression so instead I searched her feelings. She was feeling shock, disbelieve and pain, a lot of pain. Before I could stop her Melody stepped past me and started walking towards the vampire. I wanted to pull her back but the next few whispered words from Melody stopped me in my tracks. 'It's Anna.'

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**~Marieke~**


	31. Anna

**Thanks again to those who reviewed! I don't have much to say for once so enjoy the new chapter :)**

**Melody, Emmett, Zackary and Esme POV :)**

**~Don't own the original Twilight characters, just the once my mind came up with~**

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**Melody POV**

Anna, my school friend from Scotland, was standing in front of me as an immortal. She had send me an email two week earlier that she would be coming to visit soon and that she would contact me once she was in the country. I hadn't heard from her since and figured she just wasn't able to come yet. Now she was standing here and she looked in so much pain. 'Anna.' I whispered again as I took a step forward.

Before I could take another step I was yanked back and found myself behind an overprotective Jasper. He didn't say anything to me but his emotions told me enough. He had spend his first years living among and training newborns and knew as no other what they were capable of. Even though Anna was my friend, she was still a newborn and a thirsty one at that. I should have thought of that myself but all I had been able to think of was my best friend who was confused and in pain.

'Anna, you're not in control. You're throat is burning like hell.' Jasper stated. Anna's head snapped up at this though her hand stayed around her neck. 'Don't ask, just listen.' Jasper said before Anna could ask anything. 'You need to hunt before you can get any closer to Melody or you'll do things you'll regret later.' Jasper explained in a calm voice. I sensed Jasper sending a calming wave towards my friend and saw that she relaxed at least a little bit. 'I… I don't want to hunt.' Anna whispered then. 'You'll have to, Anna… please.' I said from behind my protective boyfriend.

Anna shook her head sharply but didn't say anything. Instead her grip on her neck tightened and she looked towards the ground again. Then it hit me, the reason for her refusal to go hunting. 'You don't want to hunt humans.' I whispered though I knew she could hear me and that was confirmed when Anna nodded her head once.

'You don't have to hunt humans, Anna. I can teach you how to hunt animals so that you don't have to hurt or kill humans.' Jasper told Anna slowly so that he was sure she heard her. He had once explained to me that a vampire's mind was capable of doing multiple things at the same time but it was also very easily distracted. In this case it was possible that Anna her thirst was becoming too much for her to concentrate on anything else. A wave of hope hit me then through Jasper and I could see Anna's eyes shine with that same hope.

'Darlin', you can follow us in the sky but I don't want you close when Anna's hunting. I know she's your friend but she's also a newborn.' I nodded and gave Anna one last smile before launching myself into the air. I heard Anna inhale sharply and I looked down to see her staring at me with her red eyes. A knowing look came into her eyes before she whispered, 'You being an angel wasn't a dream.' I gave her a small smile, 'I'll tell you everything when you've hunted.' I promised her.

Anna nodded and turned her gaze back to Jasper who started explaining how to best hunt animals. She listened intently and nodded a few times before both she and Jasper shot off into the forest. I followed them closely and watched as Jasper let Anna stand completely still and close her eyes. 'Use your instincts.' Jasper told Anna as he stepped back to give her some space. Anna breathed in deeply and used her senses before shooting off to find her prey. Jasper followed a bit behind as not to startle her during the hunt. A vampire, and especially a hunting vampire, could be quite territorial and aggressive when someone else interfered.

Anna her first prey was a nice one, a mountain lion. I giggled when I saw her wrinkle her nose but she either didn't hear me or just ignored me. A small sigh left Anna before she crouched down and launched herself at the unsuspecting mountain lion. What happened next was quite hilarious. The mountain lion noticed Anna just in time and roared loudly to scare her off. Anna, being new at the whole vampire hunting an animal thing, stopped in her tracks and jumped back a few feet. The lion bared his teeth and growled loudly but this didn't scare Anna anymore. She had stood up and looked at the lion for a second before turning her head towards me. 'Mel… is this normal?' I asked.

I couldn't help myself and laughed which made Anna glare at me. 'Yes Anna, it's normal. A wild animal isn't nearly the same as a human, right?' Anna knew the question was rhetorical but she did give me an answer by sticking her tongue out at me. The lion had meanwhile thought that he had won the staring contest and, becoming overconfident, attacked Anna. That was the biggest mistake of his life. Anna sidestepped the lion easily and before he noticed what had happened Anna tackled him.

The lion fell down immediately and Anna didn't waste any time after this. She quickly bend down and sank her teeth in the lion's neck. I heard the faint sound of her teeth slicing through the skin and then the sounds of quiet drinking. It surprised me that Anna had been able to snap out of her hunt to ask me a question though. When Jasper, or anyone else in the family for that matter, was hunting they only focussed on the hunt. I had once tried to distract Emmett from hunting a grizzly but had failed miserably. Even Jasper didn't stop his hunt when I called him though I figured he would stop if something was wrong with me.

'Okay… that was different.' Anna said as she dropped the lion's carcass at her feet. 'Anna, you have to bury the carcass.' Jasper said as he walked towards my friend. As a reply Anna snorted but did do as Jasper had said. When the carcass was buried Jasper stepped back again and let Anna search for her next prey as just one lion wouldn't be enough for a thirsty newborn. _She stopped in the middle of her hunt to ask me a question. _I told Jasper. _Her control is amazing for such a young newborn. Any other newborn would have attacked you the moment they smelled you. _Jasper mused and I knew he was right. Anna shot off then so I followed her again and saw that this time, her prey was elk. I landed in a nearby tree and watched as she grabbed an elk and snapped its neck before draining it. The look on her face when the first drops of the blood came into her mouth was priceless.

'That was disgusting.' Anna exclaimed as she dropped the carcass of the elk. I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing from my spot in the tree. Anna glared at me but quickly replaced that glare with a smirk. 'I can get to you up there, you know that right?' she said. I sobered up a bit and smirked back at my friend. 'Yes, you could try. But I'll just fly up before you're even halfway here.' I told her. Anna rolled her eyes at me but I was glad that she looked a bit less troubled and more like the Anna I knew. 'How's your thirst?' I asked a bit more serious. 'It's still there, but not that bad anymore. I think I still need to hunt for something else… preferably a carnivore because that elk tasted really horrible.' Anna wrinkled her nose to empathise her point.

I started laughing again when Jasper came to stand under the tree I was sitting in. 'Mel, maybe you can go home and tell the others about Anna being here. I'm sure Esme would want to clean a bit before any guests arrive.' He told me but in his mind he added what was the real reason for me to go back earlier. _Bella shouldn't be in or anywhere near the house when Anna comes. Letting a newborn near a defenceless human is like signing a death sentence._ 'Sure, no problem.' I said with a smile. 'Anna, I'll see you in a bit.' Anna nodded with a smile before once again closing her eyes and giving over to her senses.

**Emmett POV**

My afternoon with Rosalie was, in short, awesome! And to our great relief we didn't break anything big which meant no scolding from Esme. I raced downstairs, taking the stairs in two steps, and jumped onto the couch. A few seconds later Zackary, Alice, Edward and my newest little sister came back and I figured Alice would have seen that the coast was clear again. Edward nodded which confirmed my thoughts.

'Anyone wanna play a game with me?' I asked happily while looking at everyone. Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head and Edward did the same. Bella and Zackary however both nodded which made me really happy. I had played against Alice and Edward a lot already and playing against new people was always fun. I jumped up and turned on the TV and the Xbox. 'What are we playing?' Zackary asked as he came to stand next to me. 'Halo 3.' I grinned while putting the game into the Xbox. I handed Zackary a controller and grabbed one for Bella. 'I've never played… well… any game on the Xbox to tell you the truth.' Bella said as I handed her the controller. 'That's okay Bells, I'll teach you along the way.' I told her with a smile. 'Zackary, have you ever played Halo 3?' I asked as I plopped on the couch next to him. 'No, I― 'Good.' I said, completely interrupting Zack but who cares, he had given the answer I was hoping for. This would be an easy win for me.

I started up the game and chose my favourite level. Then I explained to my two opponents what the difference was between each weapon and how to use the controls. Zackary didn't seem to be paying much attention to all of this but I shrugged it off. If he really wanted to lose that badly, be my guest. As the map loaded I felt a familiar grin spread across my face, the same grin I always had when gaming.

'Yes, good point to start.' I muttered to myself as I immediately picked up more ammo and a new gun. I glanced at the other split screens and saw Bella looking either at the sky or the ground. She was clearly not used to walking around in a first person shooter. Zackary was… well, he was standing still. 'Zack, man, you kind of have to move in order to get some points.' I told him mockingly. Zackary didn't react in any way to what I had said but I just shrugged it off. I loaded my new gun and turned to the spot I knew Bella was stumbling in; easy kill number one. I pushed the left joystick forward to move my character when a shot sounded and my character dropped dead.

'Me one, Emmett zero.' Zackary said with a smirk. I just stared at him, my mouth hanging open as he quickly pushed a few buttons expertly and soon enough I heard another shot. I didn't have to look at the screen to know that my character was once again dead. 'How the hell?' I asked. Zackary shrugged and put his controller down. 'You never let me finish my answer to your question about whether I've ever played Halo 3. What I wanted to say was that, no, I've never played Halo 3 but I did play both Halo 1 and 2 and was unbeatable at it.' Zackary explained while the grin on his face grew.

I grumbled some things under my breath and before I knew it I had crushed my controller in my hand. 'This is so not fun.' I growled as I threw the now broken controller through the glass in the back door. The glass shattered on impact and in a second Esme was standing in the room. I cringed back as my mother towered over me with blazing eyes. 'Emmett McCarty Cullen.' Esme hissed while her eyes grew darker. 'Hi mom.' I managed to whisper before Esme started her tirade about acting like the adult I'm supposed to be.

**Zackary POV**

The moment Esme had used Emmett's full name I knew he was in for it. I had seen this over the past few years as Emmett breaking stuff and Esme scolding was kind of a pattern that repeated itself every now and then. I grabbed Bella on instinct and raced out of the house before she would be near an angry vampire. As much control as these vamps had, a human near an angry one still wasn't a good idea.

Alice and Edward joined Bella and me and we all sat down on the grass to enjoy the show. Bella giggled a few times as we heard Esme scold and Emmett whimper. In the end it was decided that Emmett's punishment would be to cook at least seven meals for both Melody, me and, if she would eat here, Bella. Emmett came outside, still grumbling loudly, with Rosalie close behind him. 'It'll be okay, baby.' Rose cooed. 'I'll help you with the cooking.'

'Everyone!' A bell like voice called from behind us. I looked around to see my baby sister fly towards us at full speed. Melody landed in front of us a second later with a mixture of happiness, relief and fear in her eyes. 'Mel, what happened?' Rosalie asked before I could. 'Anna's here… as a newborn.' Melody whispered. 'Anna? As in Anna McKenzie from Scotland?' Rose exclaimed in disbelief. Melody nodded, 'Yes, that Anna.' She said. 'I don't know what happened as Jasper took her hunting immediately after she found us. She was very thirsty and it wouldn't have been a good idea to bring her home before going on a hunt.' Melody explained before turning to Edward and Bella. 'Bella shouldn't be here when Anna comes back. Hunting or no hunting, having a human near a newborn is asking for trouble.'

For once Edward didn't argue with Melody and guided Bella towards the garage. A few seconds later we heard the purr of Edward's Volvo and the sound of the car moving away from the house. We all went inside after this and Melody called Carlisle down so that we would all be there when Anna and Jasper came here.

Luckily we didn't have to wait long as Melody raced outside only a few minutes after we had sat down. A few seconds later we heard light footsteps and as I looked up both Jasper and Melody came walking in with a shy looking Anna behind them. It was amazing to see what changing into a vampire did to a human. Of course I hadn't seen Anna since she was fourteen but still, the changes were incredible. She was pale as any of the Cullens, her blond hair was lighter than before and looked shinier somehow and she had the perfect body. The only thing different between her and the Cullens was that Anna's eyes were the bright red of a newborn instead of soft gold of vegetarian vampires.

Melody looked back and saw that Anna had not moved passed the threshold yet. She let go of Jasper's hand and made to go to Anna only to be stopped by both Jasper and me. Jasper growled at me as I growled back at him as I had a right to protect my sister as much as he had. 'Jasper… Zackary… don't be like this.' Melody sighed. I took a tiny step back but Jasper stayed where he was, wrapping an arm around Melody's waist and pulling her closer. Melody smiled happily at her soulmate before giving me a small smile too. I gave her an even smaller smile in return knowing very well that I had to earn a lot of trust back.

Alice came to stand next to me, grabbed my hand and intertwined her fingers with mine. _They'll come to trust you, don't worry. Melody will be the first and sooner than you think._ Alice told me firmly and I knew she had seen this happen. I grinned at her and pulled her closer to give a kiss on her forehead. _I hope you're right but I'm kind of sure you are, as always._ I told her, a hint of humour in my mental voice. I had hoped to be able to talk with Melody a bit more this evening but Anna arriving wasn't something I had anticipated.

**Esme POV**

Zackary and Jasper had attracted the attention of the others with their hostile behaviour but I focussed on the scared looking girl in the doorway. She was looking at the little exchange between my children with interest and with a hint of envy in her eyes. As Jasper and Zackary started bickering again about whether or not Zackary should be allowed near Melody I walked over to Anna. 'I'm all grownup and can decide for myself with whom I interact.' Melody sighed exasperatedly but both Jasper and Zackary didn't listen to her.

I decided to ignore the little quarrel and slowly put my hand on Anna's shoulder. Her head snapped to me and I could see a lot of pain in her bright red eyes. 'Oh, Anna.' I sighed and pulled her into a hug. Anna was shocked at first but quickly relaxed a bit and hugged me back. The rest of the family was quiet now but I paid them no attention. Anna needed this right now and as her parents weren't here I would play the part.

Anna pulled back a bit after a few seconds and the look in her eyes told me that if she could, she would be crying. 'Anna… what happened?' Melody whispered as the little quarrel ended. Anna's head snapped towards Melody and I could see Jasper cringe a bit as her emotions hit him. 'She's in pain.' Jasper whispered while pulling Melody closer. Melody turned around in his arms and cupped Jasper's face in her hands. She closed her eyes and seemed to focus after which Jasper relax again. I smiled at my daughter who had become Jasper's personal little empath.

When Jasper was feeling okay again Melody turned around again to face Anna. 'Do you want to tell us?' she asked as a follow up question to her first. Anna just nodded and let me lead her to the closest couch. We all sat down, Melody and Jasper opposite Anna on the floor, and turned our attention to the girl sitting next to me. Anna took a few small breaths and looked at all of us in turn before beginning her story.

'I'm not too sure what happened to cause… this.' She motioned to her body with a sad look in her eyes. 'It's okay, honey. Just tell us what you remember.' I told her soothingly. Anna nodded and gave me a small but sad smile. 'I had send an email to Melody about two week ago saying that I would be visiting. In the email I told her that I would contact her the moment I would be in the country as I wasn't sure about the actual arrival date. My parents,' Anna swallowed hard here, 'booked the tickets and they kept the date a surprise.

'We arrived about eleven days ago and went to a hotel in Seattle. I don't remember much about the hotel, just that our room had a large balcony and that the hotel itself had an outside pool. Even though it was cold outside the pool was heated so I decided to go for a swim before going to bed. I remember changing and going into the pool and then… pain… excruciating pain. At some points the fire was too much and I screamed, at other times I could kind of hear what was going on. I remember my parents crying close to me and my father putting his hand on my sweaty forehead and whispering that everything would be alright and that the doctor was working on finding a remedy. I don't think I replied but then again, I don't know much about the time I was burning.

'When the burning finally stopped as well as my heart I was met by silence. It only lasted for a second though as I could hear my parents coming upstairs quickly. I thought they would be close as I could hear their footsteps but it took them forever to get to me. Opening my eyes I saw everything in a new light. Everything was extremely detailed and I was surprised enough to forget everything else for a few seconds. It was night out but I could still see everything perfectly, it was amazing.

'I soon found out that breathing wasn't something I needed but it did feel good when I did breathe. The only problem was that with the breathing came an extreme burn in my throat. I had thought about drinking water but just the thought of that seemed appalling. The next thing I knew, the voices and footsteps of my parents and my doctor got closer and the door to my room opened. Both my parents and the doctor just stared at me when they saw what I looked like. I hadn't seen my eyes yet at that time but apparently I looked a lot different as my parents were frozen in shock.

'I tried to call for my mom and dad but when the first sound left my mouth I was surprised at the sound as it wasn't what I was used to. I exhaled softly then and inhaled again and that was the biggest mistake I've ever made.' Anna stopped here and broke down in tearless sobs which were soon causing her body to shake uncontrollably. 'Anna dear… I'm so sorry.' I whispered tearfully and once again wrapped my arms around the now shaking girl.

I heard a soft sob from the opposite side and looked there to see Melody crying silently into Jasper's chest, completely soaking his shirt. I looked around the room and saw that everyone had tears in their eyes that would never fall, even Emmett and Zackary was fighting to not let them fall. None of us needed Anna to continue her story for all of us knew what had happened the moment Anna had inhaled with her parents and the doctor in the room.

It took Anna a few minutes to calm down and I was positive that Jasper had something to do with it as well. I gave my son a small smile which he returned, confirming my suspicions. 'You don't have to continue if you don't want to.' I told Anna softly while stroking her hair. 'No… I want to continue.' Anna said. 'After… that… I jumped out of the hotel room and raced out of the city as quickly as I could. I must admit that the moment I started running and jumping I could only think about how exhilarating it was.

'I was deep in a forest when everything that happened came back to me and it crashed down on me. I collapsed and wasn't able to move for over a day. By then my throat was on fire again but I was afraid to move. I didn't want to do what I did earlier to anyone else and then a human memory returned. The memory of you guys… of Melody. I didn't really know why I remembered that until I thought of Melody's family. You guys were always different from normal humans and I remember Carlisle's skin being cold from when he treated me and… my dad… when we were in the crash.

'I then noticed that I wasn't cold though I wasn't wearing a jacket but the only thing I needed to make sure that I was like you was to look at my eyes. I found a pool of water and glanced in it and saw, not gold, but bright red eyes. I was so sad that I still had no place to go but a second later I thought that I could at least check things out. Even though our eyes weren't the same a lot of things did ad up, especially the speed part as Jasper and Melody carried us to their house in no time after the crash.

'I took a change and raced towards Forks by following the street signs that were standing next to the roads. I held my breath most of the time and only inhaled a tiny bit to see if I could pick up a scent I remembered from my human days. As I was running I figured out what I was and it both scared and excited me. When I was about to lose hope I picked up a familiar scent which lead me to you two.' Anna finished and gave Melody and Jasper a small smile.

'I understand why you didn't want to hunt.' Melody said after a while. 'Anna… I'm so sorry for what happened to you.' Anna shook her head and her smile grew a bit. 'Don't be, Mel… What happened... happened… I can't change that. I'm really glad that I found you guys… I felt so alone…' Anna trailed off and remained quiet after this. I kept my arms around the girl and stroked her hair as it seemed to calm her.

'Anna… I would like to ask you something.' Carlisle said and I shot my husband an angry glare. This wasn't the time to ask this poor girl questions. To my surprise however, Anna nodded for Carlisle to continue. 'I was wondering… do you know who changed you?' my mate asked and in spite of myself I looked at Anna curiously. 'I don't really remember… but what I do remember is someone talking to me while I was burning. She told me that it would be over soon and that she would come for me then. I think I left quicker than she had anticipated because I was already out of the hotel when she came. The only thing I saw was flaming red hair before I dashed off towards the forest outside of Seattle.' Anna explained to us.

Carlisle nodded thoughtfully but didn't ask any more questions. 'Anna… I'm sorry but I can't come near you yet.' Melody said after a few seconds of silence. Anna nodded, 'I know, and I don't mind as we can still talk like this and I'm going to fight to gain control of this whole must have blood thing. You do have to tell me what the hell you are because I'm at a loss.' Anna said as she looked at the wings coming from Melody's back before turning to Zackary to look at his wings. Melody grinned and I was glad to see that everyone else was looking better again as well now that the hard part of the story telling was over. Melody looked at Jasper for a second who nodded before launching into her story. Anna relaxed in my arms but I didn't let go. Her face showed emotions to what Melody was telling her and sometimes her gaze shot to either Jasper or Zackary as they supplied things that Melody forgot to tell her. For now, Anna was at peace and I hoped we could keep it that way.

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**Review to let me know what you think! ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	32. Getting to know the enemy

**Chapter 32 :)**

**Carlisle, Jasper and Zackary POV**

**~Still don't own anything from the original Twilight books~**

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**Carlisle POV**

Running through the forest in search of a hint of the vampire who changed Anna. That was all we could do at the moment as Anna didn't know anything more than she had already told us. The past three weeks had gone by quickly and with no result.

I had asked Anna to come to my office when Melody had gone to sleep and had asked her about a few things in more detail. The thing that I was wondering about the most was how she could have figured out that she was a vampire so fast. I remember that it took me a few weeks before I knew, without a doubt, that I was a vampire and I had foreknowledge. My father and I had been hunting vampires so it was really only my denial of what had happened that held me back.

Anna had looked at me a bit sheepishly before she admitted in a very soft whisper that she had done some research after we had moved away from Scotland. I was impressed by what she had found out and that she had been able to figure out which legends were true and which weren't. She had figured out that our changing eye colour had something to do with our thirst and that we probably couldn't be killed by a wooden stake as she had shook hands with us and they were too hard to push anything through. She didn't trust the burning in the sun legends either though she hadn't quite figured out why we hadn't gone to work when the sun was out. The one thing she wasn't sure of when she had thought she was a vampire were her eyes. As our eyes are all golden and her eyes are red.

I was impressed by her research skills and quickly explained all about newborn vampires and that the diet we chose made our eyes golden. Anna was more than willing to try and stick to the vegetarian diet so every day one of us would go with her to hunt. Today I was the one to go with her and I had to admit that Anna was a natural at hunting animals. Anna had so far taken down a few elk and was searching for a carnivore. She had wanted to stop after the elk but today was the day she would meet Bella and we couldn't take any chances.

Anna's eyes snapped open then and she raced off in the direction she had smelled her prey. I followed her and saw that she had found a cougar and was having a little bit of fun with it. The cougar seemed to think that he had a chance to win as Anna feigned exhaustion and sat down on the ground. The cougar circled Anna before attacking from behind. Anna jumped up and landed her right foot on the cougar's neck, effectively snapping his neck. I watched as my newest daughter drank from the cougar when my phone rang. I looked at the screen to see that it was Rosalie.

'What is it, Rose?' I asked. 'We just got home from school, Bella included.' Rosalie said and I heard that she tried not to sneer Bella's name but not really succeeding. 'Thank you Rosalie. We'll be right there, Anna is almost done hunting.' I told Rose after which I snapped the phone shut. Rosalie didn't like Bella and didn't even try to get to know her. She had taken an interest in Anna though, even more so than when Anna had been human, and had taken it upon herself to train Anna to handle her thirst.

Anna came up to me then and I could see that her eyes were brighter and the shadows under them were almost gone. 'Are you ready to meet Bella?' I asked. Anna nodded and a smile spread across her face. She had wanted to meet Bella ever since Melody told her about the human in our lives.

We raced back to the house, Anna running a bit slower than she could as a newborn so that I could keep up, and arrived ten minutes later. As we walked towards the front door I heard light footsteps come to the door. A second later Melody opened the door and grinned at her friend who was walking a few steps behind me. Anna was still very careful around Melody but my daughter had other plans. She had hated the space between Anna and her so a week after Anna joined the family, Melody had become reckless and hugged Anna. No one saw it coming and everyone was doused with fear as Jasper lost control of his gift. He had grabbed Melody and pulled her behind him in less than a second. Both Anna and Melody had been startled by Jasper's behaviour but Jasper wouldn't step away until he was sure Anna was in control. Anna had been in control though and Jasper had relaxed though the girls weren't allowed to be together without any of us being with them.

Melody turned around and ran back into the room and I motioned for Anna to go inside as well. I closed the door behind me once I was in the house and saw that everyone was just relaxed and acting like nothing was wrong. Emmett, Zackary and Jasper were playing Halo 3, again, on the Xbox while Rosalie, Alice and Melody were laughing when their mates got shot down in the game. Esme was talking to Bella about gardening and Edward was listening to the conversation though he only looked interested because Bella was.

I knew they were doing this to show Anna that having Bella in the family was normal but I could feel Anna stiffen beside me and her breathing stopped as her eyes locked on Bella. I put my arm around Anna's shoulders and walked to the others. Anna followed but more because she didn't have a choice than that she really wanted to. Jasper's eyes shot to Anna before he turned to Melody and started one of their silent conversations. Melody jumped up after a second of talking to Jasper and came to stand in front of Anna. 'Don't worry; none of us is going to let you attack Bella.' My daughter said with a smile.

She grabbed Anna's hand and dragged her to the couch on which Alice and Rosalie were sitting. Bella gave Anna a small smile which Anna returned but they didn't say anything. 'Boys, can you turn off the Xbox for a few seconds?' Esme asked. All three of them grumbled something in reply but didn't act. I sighed and walked over to the Xbox to turn it off. 'No! I was winning!' Emmett groaned as the TV screen became black. 'I don't care, Emmett. You listen to your mother when she tells you to do something.' I told him sternly.

Emmett sighed but didn't go against me as he went to sit on the couch. Rosalie cooed him that he was still her number one. I sat down next to Esme and smiled at my newest daughter. 'Anna, we would like you to meet Bella.' I motioned to Bella who gave Anna a small smile while her cheeks coloured a light pink. This wasn't helping the situation and Edward nodded slightly in agreement as he pulled Bella closer to him. I looked at Anna and saw that she still wasn't breathing but that her eyes hadn't turned darker which was a relief.

Bella took a deep breath then and I was proud of her when she untangled herself from Edward and walked over to Anna. 'Hi, I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you.' Bella said with a smile. Anna looked at Bella in confusion and shot a scared look at Melody. 'Just shake her hand, Anna.' Melody encouraged. Anna swallowed before extending her hand slowly and grabbing Bella's hand as careful as she could.

'Try to breathe, honey.' Esme encouraged but Anna shot me a scared look before starting to shake her head in a clear no. 'But you breathe near Melody, why not near Bella?' Emmett asked and I did my best to not chuckle in front of Anna at Emmett's remark. 'Because Melody isn't human and so her scent is different, Emmett.' Alice told Emmett in a way a mother would tell her child he said something stupid. 'Hold me, please.' Anna said and I looked back at her to see determination in her eyes.

Anna stood up and motioned for Bella to stand back. Bella didn't ask anything and moved back and into Edward's embrace. 'Emmett, Jasper, can you two hold her?' I asked. Both of them nodded and were holding Anna a second later. I was sure Bella hadn't been able to see the movement and by the look on her face, I was correct. 'Breathe in carefully, Anna. Don't worry about losing control. I'll help you with that.' Jasper told Anna in a big brotherly way. Anna nodded and focussed her gaze on Bella who was looking expectantly back. Anna closed her eyes and I saw her tense as she carefully and slowly breathed in.

What happened next was something none of us had expected. Anna's eyes snapped open and a crazed look was in them as she looked at Bella. 'You!' was all she screeched as she began to fight against the restrains that were Emmett and Jasper. Edward had already reacted and had lifted Bella and was now standing on the other side of the room with Bella behind him. Alice had moved to stand in front of Bella as well and Rosalie and Zackary were standing in front of Melody. Not that my daughter needed protection but because she had tried to get to Anna the moment her friend had lost it.

I had changed positions too but didn't register this immediately. My instinct had taken over and I was now standing in front of my mate protectively. 'You! It's you! I have to get you!' Anna screeched at Bella again as she used her newborn strength to get loose.

**Jasper POV**

I felt determination coming from Anna as Emmett and I held her. She closed her eyes and I could feel her tense and then breathe in slowly. The next thing that happened wasn't really something that I hadn't expected. I could feel her bloodlust rise and held her a bit tighter because of it. The thing that happened after that was something I had definitely not expected. Anna's eyes snapped open and she started screeching that she had to get to Bella. Her bloodlust was out of control by now and it took both Emmett and me to hold her in place.

Anna kept screeching to Bella and I had to use a lot of calming waves to keep her kind of still. 'Jasper, Emmett, outside.' Carlisle ordered. He didn't need to tell us twice. We had already tried to get Anna outside but her newborn strength was amazing and she was desperately fighting to get into the opposite direction of the door. 'Edward, take Bella outside and to the back.' I growled. Edward looked at me questioningly for a second before understanding became his dominant emotion. He lifted Bella bridal style and ran out of the front door. Anna's eyes followed the movement carefully and then her ears heard it as Edward ran around the house.

He appeared at the back door in three seconds and Anna's rampage focussed on the backyard. Edward's grip tightened on Bella as Emmett and I hauled Anna outside. This time it was us trying get her towards the front door instead of towards the backyard. As soon as we were in the yard Edward ran back around and into the living room. Carlisle came outside then as well as Melody and Zackary and they closed the door behind them. Both Melody and Zackary flew into the air for which I was glad. Melody might be fast but she still had blood flowing through her veins and letting a newborn go near her on the ground while said newborn was blood crazed just wasn't going to happen.

I send once last massive dose of calm and lethargy to Anna before signalling to Emmett to let go. The first thing that happened was Anna flying forwards because she hadn't expected us to let go. She was getting dangerously close to Carlisle but before I could get to her she stopped and flew backwards fast. Emmett and I jumped out of the way as Anna flew past us and landed on her back. A wave of guilt hit me then and my head snapped up to see that Melody had her arm pointing away from Carlisle and was looking worriedly to Anna. _She's fine Mel. You did what you had to do and besides, she's a newborn. Not much can hurt her at the moment._ I told my girl while sending her a calming wave.

Anna got up slowly and shook her head at what had happened. I turned my full attention back to her and kept a steady flow of calming waves towards her. 'I… need to go.' Anna whispered. She jumped up and raced towards the forest. 'I'll follow her in the air.' Zackary muttered from above and he shot after her at full speed. Melody came flying down then and landed a few feet away from me. I didn't waste any time and had her in my arms in less than a second. Worry was the dominant emotion in Melody at the moment and I could understand why. Anna was one of her best friends and to see her like this was something I wish she never had to see.

_Anna will be fine. She's just overwhelmed by had has happened and needs some time to think. _ I told Melody while stroking her hair. _But what if she runs into a human… what will happen then?_ Melody's fear spiked as she thought about this and she even started shaking because of it. I held her a bit tighter and place a kiss on her head. _Don't worry; Zackary will make sure she doesn't do anything she would regret later._ I told her. Melody nodded and I felt her trust for her brother. It was amazing how fast everyone had trusted Zackary. I couldn't help trusting him as I could tell his intentions were good. No one could lie to an empath and Zackary was no exemption to that.

I lifted Melody and carried her inside where the rest of the family was waiting. Rosalie was standing next to me in less than a second, worry edged clearly on her face. 'Anna is going to be fine. Zackary followed her so that he could prevent her doing anything she'd regret later. Melody is just shocked at what happened and worried about her friend.' I quickly explained to the others. The worry in the room immediately went down which was a relief.

Half an hour later both Anna and Zackary came walking into the house. Anna's eyes were lighter again and I could feel that the burn in her throat had been reduced to a dull ache. I sighed in relief and hugged Melody who was sitting on my lap. 'I'm sorry for earlier.' Anna said to Bella. Edward growled and pulled Bella closer and I couldn't blame him though it wasn't helping the situation. 'Leave her be, Edward. She's gone hunting and cleared her mind and I think we all want to know what make her freak out like that.' Zackary drawled which earned him an angry hiss from Edward.

'Edward, Zackary, now is not the time for this.' Carlisle said. I let out a sigh at my brothers' behaviour but was glad that this time it wouldn't escalate to a fight. Edward and Zackary had become surprisingly good friends over the past few weeks but when it came to having a conversation where they both had a different opinion things almost always ended up in a play fight which could get rough.

'Anna, I know you probably don't want to think back to it but we have to know. Why did you say you had to get to Bella?' Carlisle asked softly. Anna looked at him with sad eyes and the sadness that came from her made me cringe a little. Melody send me a wave of her love and I smiled at her placing a quick kiss on her lips before turning back to the problem at hand. 'It's her scent… I was told to get it. 'Anna whispered. 'What do you mean?' Edward half growled. 'I'm so sorry… I haven't told you everything. The one who changed me came to me while I was running to find you. She told me she would stop following me if I got her a certain human. She then let me smell a t-shirt with the scent of the one I was supposed to find. I didn't want her to come after me again… she scared me.' Anna shuddered at the memory. Her fear for this vampire was big and I wondered who would be able to make a newborn fear something so much. The only one I knew was Maria but she wouldn't ask for Bella as she had no reason for this.

Anna inhaled carefully while Carlisle and Zackary held her. 'I'm okay… really.' She said with a small smile. Carlisle and Zackary both relaxed a bit but didn't let go which was a very wise idea. However controlled a newborn seemed; you can never know for sure what will happen. 'The woman never told me her name, just that if I brought her the human she would leave me alone. I never thought that the human she was talking about was one of your family. I had noticed a strange smell especially on Edward but it hadn't been clear as it was mixed with his own scent and I was in denial that Bella was the one the woman had told me about. I don't― 'What did she look like?' Bella interrupted Anna.

Anna looked at Bella questioningly and I could feel Bella's fear grow with each passing second. 'Anna, this is important to Bella. Please answer her.' I told Anna while sending her a small wave of confidence. 'She… she had piercing red eyes which had a murderous glint in them, was a bit feral as if she hadn't lived in a society for a long time and her hair was curled and had a fire red colour.' Anna said feeling a bit confused as she probably didn't really understand why this was so important at the moment. Bella however gasped and fear and panic were rolling off her in waves. She clung to Edward as if he was her lifeline and tears were beginning to flow down her cheeks. 'I… It's…her.' Bella choked as the tears started to flow faster.

None of us had to ask who she was talking about. Everyone knew Bella's story and the vampires who had terrorized her. At least that is what I thought before I felt Anna's confusion. No one had explained Bella's history to Anna yet and she didn't understand what this was all about. Carlisle seemed to notice this as well and quickly promised Anna that he would explain things to her later. Bella was becoming more and more hysteric and I decided that this was all too much for her. 'Bella, I'm sorry.' I said before sending her a large enough doze of lethargy to put her in a deep sleep.

**Zackary POV**

After a few weeks of relative peace and quiet, or at least as much of it as possible in a house full of vampires, the time to stress had once again come. The bomb that Anna had dropped about her mission from one of the sadistic vampires that had tormented Bella had caused everyone to become very… touchy. It didn't matter to them that we, yes I did include myself nowadays, were a family of seven strong vampires and two even stronger phoenixes. The only thing they thought about was the human who would be vulnerable when a vampire would attack. Of course Bella was in the most danger to get hurt or die but the chances of that happening were extremely slim seeing as she had nine indestructible beings to protect her.

Jasper had manipulated Bella's emotions so that she had fallen asleep almost instantly so that we could plan in peace. Edward placed Bella in the bed in his room and raced downstairs to plan with us. Okay, when I say plan… it doesn't really mean plan. You would think that vampires with their great minds could plan properly but no. They are led by their emotions too much in these situations which made sure both Edward and my Alice couldn't be reasoned with. Every plan Jasper or I thought of was shot down by both of them as either too dangerous or too risky. This had been going on for two hours now and we weren't getting anywhere.

'Well you come up with something then.' Melody snapped at Edward when he opposed to yet another plan. 'I don't know! But the ideas you two, 'he glared from Jasper to me and back, 'are coming up with are just too dangerous.' Edward hissed. I sighed and leaned back in my chair and put an arm around Alice who was trying to get a glimpse of the future. She did see the future but as the enemy didn't decide anything and stick with it the future changed all the time.

'Nothing.' Alice finally said as her eyes became focussed again. She leaned into my side and sighed heavily. I might not be an empath but I knew one thing for sure. Alice was extremely worried about what might happen. 'I might have an idea.' Rosalie said, getting the immediate, surprised attention from everyone in the room. 'Don't look so surprised, it's kind of insulting.' Rosalie huffed. 'Anyway, why can't Zackary and Melody scout from the air? Maybe taking Edward with them so that he can listen to the thoughts of the enemy once you find them.' Rosalie said.

I looked at Jasper, who after all was the best strategist alive or alive as possible when you're a vampire, and raised an eyebrow questioningly. 'Rosalie's plan might work.' Jasper mused. 'Don't sound so surprised.' Rosalie growled but only Emmett and I heard as we were sitting right next to her. 'Zackary, Edward, Melody and I will go and scout the area. Melody can get in contact with either Rosalie or Esme when we find something and Zackary can contact Alice.' Jasper was in all out military mode now and was planning the way he was used to. I could relate to this as I was one of the best strategists among my own people but when dealing with vampires, Jasper's experience was far greater than mine.

For once, no one disagreed with the idea which meant we could finally get something done. 'I'm going to stay with Bella. I'll hear when something has been found.' Esme said before running up the stairs towards Edward's room. 'Well, let's go then.' Melody said. She seemed as happy to be doing something as I was. Then again, we weren't meant to stay indoors. We were meant to fly across the sky and if that wasn't possible we should at least be outside.

I gave Alice a goodbye kiss and raced outside, happy to be moving again after all that talking and sitting around. 'You ready, Eddy-boy?' I asked as I heard Edward come outside with me. 'I'm ready as soon as you stop calling me that.' Edward growled. 'Sure, no problem… for now.' I added the last part too soft for even a vampire to hear. Before Edward could protest to anything else I grabbed him around the waist, stretched my wings and launched myself into the air.

Below me Jasper and Melody did the same but they seemed much more at ease at flying together than I was with Eddie-boy. Then again, Melody was flying with her soulmate and I was flying with an obnoxious vampire though I had to admit that it was fun to hang out with him every now and then. We flew at full speed towards Seattle after which we split up to cover more ground. Melody and Jasper would fly over Seattle and see if they could spot anything strange while Edward and I would scout around the city.

As just flying over forests and roads wasn't really something fun I decided to engage Edward in a conversation. 'So… you and Bella… did you do anything… you know… different?' I asked, trying to keep my question as civil as possible. It didn't work though as Edward growled at my suggestive question. 'No… and you know why.' He growled. 'You really are too scared, Eddie-boy. I'm sure you won't hurt her, you love her too much.' I told him. The only answer I got was a deep sigh and with that our conversation ended.

After another thirty minutes of extremely nice silence Edwards head snapped to the side. 'That way.' Was all he said while pointing towards the east. I quickly complied and flew in that direction until Edward told me to stop. 'That house.' Edward said and I nodded in agreement. A lot of voices and snarls were coming from the house though they weren't very loud which indicated that there must be a basement or something like that. 'How many do you reckon?' I asked as I listened to the different voices coming from the house. 'Fifteen or sixteen but they're very hostile towards each other and very new.' Edward said.

I couldn't hear the difference between newborn and older vampire voices but then again, I wasn't used to them as much as Edward was. 'Is the creator there?' I asked when I gave up trying to hear a difference. Edward shook his head, 'No, only newborns though there is one who's thoughts are at least a little rational which makes me think that he isn't as new as the others.' Well, that at least explained why I couldn't hear a difference. Just then one of the vamps came out of the house and started through the forest in a direct line which meant he knew where he was going.

'He's not going hunting.' Edward muttered, confirming my thoughts. We followed the newborn, who Edward soon identified as the older one of the bunch. The newborn ran in a straight line to another house in which Edward could hear "more mature thoughts" as he said it. As soon as the newborn entered the house I landed in a tree close to the house. A second later soft voices came from the house and they didn't sound that friendly.

'What are you doing here Riley?' A female voice hissed. 'I came to report that two have escaped during their hunt.' Another, probably Riley, answered. 'What?' Another male voice growled. 'You do know that we can't keep replacing them, don't you?' 'Yes, I'm sorry. But I did tell the others that the escapees had burnt in the sun because they didn't come back in time.' Riley said and I could literally hear the desperation in his voice. He was definitely afraid of being killed by the others in that house. 'Well, that at least is something.' Another male voice drawled.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Riley dared to speak again. 'When will we go to the yellow eyes?' I stiffened at that and Edward let out a low growl. 'When we have enough to take them on. We want the human alive as she has to pay for running away from us like that.' The first male said. I felt Edward stiffen next to me and I guessed that one or more of the vamps in the house were thinking of ways to torture Bella. 'How many more do we need?' Riley asked almost too soft for me to hear. 'We'll need about five or six more, in total around twenty newborns.' The female said. 'Then we will attack and conquer the other coven so that we can claim this land for ourselves.' The first male voice finished for her.

Edward and I looked at each other for a second and without saying a word I grabbed him and launched myself into the air. Edward grabbed his cell phone and called Jasper to tell that we had found out… well… a lot of things. We soon met up with my sister and Jasper and Edward explained what we had overheard while flying back. Melody was shocked at the story and Jasper was projecting a lot of anger by the time Edward was finished. 'Jasper… mind toning it down a bit? You make me wanna burn something down.' I hissed. Jasper took control of his gift quickly and we all relax a little bit. The rest of the flight back was spend in silence but we were probably all thinking the same thing. What were we going to do about this threat?

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**Review please! **

**~Marieke~**


	33. Making an alliance

**Sorry for the late update! I've just been very busy lately and I didn't have much time to write :(**

**Anyway, enjoy the next chapter :)**

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**Jasper POV**

The tension in the room was high even with me trying to calm everyone down. Bella was luckily still asleep as she would probably not survive the stress at the moment. The news that there was an army of newborns out there who had their eyes set on all of us was taken badly. The news that Bella was their main target was taken even worse. No one messes with a vampire's soulmate and even though Bella was human she was Edward's soulmate.

Another problem was that the newborns had been causing some problems by now. The internet was full of stories about missing people in Seattle and strange car accidents in which no one survived. The stories had become more and more over the past week and we would have looked into it at some point but not as fast as now. If the newborns would keep this up the Volturi would get involved and as the army was created to destroy us the Volturi would most likely come here to ask about our part in all of this. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but with a human and two phoenixes living here it wouldn't be such a good idea.

'The thing we have to worry about the most is putting an end to this all before the Volturi hear about it.' I said. The others nodded and the concern in the room increased… again. 'Well, then we'll have to fight.' Emmett said, slamming his fist in his hand to emphasise his point. 'But at what cost?' Rosalie asked quietly and I could feel her fear for her family seeping through. 'No cost if you ask me.' Zackary said and I could feel the confidence roll off him. 'I mean, we have seven vampires and two phoenixes. We can't lose.' He continued. 'Have you ever fought newborns?' I asked sceptically. Zackary shook his head but was still confident. 'Well, newborns are faster and much stronger than any of us here.' I told him hoping his confidence went down a bit.

Zackary however didn't think this was a big deal as his confidence only grew. 'Well, I don't care whether it's a newborn or older a vampire. I can toast them either way.' He grinned. Emmett's confidence grew at this and he gave Zackary a high-five. 'You can't just go ahead and burn down everything, Zackary.' Edward interjected. 'Why not? I can tell you it's very effective.' Zackary chuckled. 'That may be true but when you throw a fireball and someone moves you might hit one of us.' I told him. 'You can fight in a normal way and use your fire at close range to instantly kill one of the newborns but that's it.'

At this Zackary's confidence dropped and the grin on Emmett's face disappeared. 'We'll need help… we can't do this alone if we all want to survive.' I sighed and sat down with my head in my hands. Melody sat down on the armrest next to me and placed her arms around me. _We'll find a way._ She whispered to me but I could feel that she had her doubts and that she was afraid of losing me. 'The wolfs… we can ask them for help.' Carlisle finally said but he didn't feel confident about this idea at all. I on the other hand, did. 'Yes, that would work perfectly.' I exclaimed. 'We just have to find a way to ask them which is going to be difficult.' Edward said. 'Why is that?' Zackary asked. 'We can't go onto their land as we're the ones they fight against. Well… not literally us but any other vampire apart from us. This means that they will probably help us in the fight against the newborns as they are a threat to their families as well.' I explained.

'Then Zackary and I will go.' Melody said. 'They don't know us and we're definitely not vampires so they won't attack us. We'll just pretend to be human tourists until we find some things out about the wolfs.' She said as if she was talking about taking a walk in the park. I wanted to protest that it was too dangerous as the wolfs could lose their temper in a second which could cause serious injuries. Carlisle however beat me to it but not in the way I had wanted. 'I think that is the best plan we've got for now. One thing you should know about the wolfs is that when they lose their temper they will start shaking which is an indication they will change forms.' He explained to Zackary. Melody had already heard this story along with Alice and me when we moved here over a year ago.

'We'll be careful, won't we sis?' Zackary said with a grin. Melody grinned back but stopped as she saw my face. _I'll be fine, Jasper. Trust me._ She said. _I trust you, honey. I just don't trust those dogs._ I told her truthfully. _Don't worry; I can beat those dogs any day. Besides, if things get too dangerous I'll just fly away._ Melody said confidently. I knew she was right but I still didn't like the idea of sending my mate to the dogs' home base. 'Don't worry, Jasper. I won't let anything hurt my sister.' Zackary said. He clapped me on the shoulder and gave me his signature grin.

I decided to ignore him for now and instead concentrated on Melody. _I'll be right there when you need me. If anything happens either run or fly to the treaty line and I'll be there waiting for you._ I told melody while hugging her close. _I promise_. She told me before softly kissing me. I quickly deepened the kiss, not really caring that we weren't alone in the room.

The clearing of two throats made Melody pull back and I growled at my brothers. Both Emmett and Zackary smirked at me and if it wasn't for the fact that we were in a hurry to get some allies I would have jumped to them and start a fight. They had interrupted Melody and I a million times by now and it was driving me nuts. Melody was feeling the same though she didn't show it like I did. I took my revenge when Zackary was with Alice or Emmett was with Rosalie. I would hit them with a large wave of insecurity which meant they couldn't do what they wanted to.

Melody hugged me one more time before running outside towards the garage. 'Have fun.' Alice chirped as she hugged Zackary. 'Always.' He grinned back and gave her a quick kiss before running after Melody. A few seconds later we heard Melody's Audi R8 pull out of the garage and down the driveway. Alice and I got up quickly and raced out the back door towards the forest. Once we were near the treaty line we sat down and I quickly told Melody where we would be waiting if anything went wrong.

**Zackary POV**

Man I really do love this car! I had seen that Jasper had given it to Melody for her last birthday but this was only the second time I got to sit in it. And, this time was even more special. The last time I had sat next to Melody but this time, she had let me drive. I put the car in the fifth gear and put my foot down hard as the car sped forward. 'What is it with boys and driving really fast?' Melody sighed. 'We just like it.' I shrugged. 'Where do the dogs live anyway?' I continued as I had no idea of where I should go.

'Just follow the road until you see a sign that points to La Push.' Melody instructed. I nodded and kept the car going at full speed as Melody turned the radio on. We soon came to a crossing with a sign that pointed to La Push. We drove for another twenty minutes at almost full speed as the road had too many bends in it to actually go full speed.

La Push was definitely something else. It was like a little community with small houses but they still had everything in it. A supermarket, a hairdresser and various other shops. 'How will we find the wolves? Do you think we should just ask someone?' I suggested. 'No, Carlisle said that when they lived here before there was an alpha wolf with the surname Black. I think we should ask around for someone with that same name.' Melody mused.

As I couldn't think of something better to do I parked the car and we got out to be met by some interested looking people. They were all gaping at the car and it took me a moment to realise that they probably didn't see an Audi R8 that often. Some of the guys, which were huge might I add, had averted their gaze from the car to Melody soon and I didn't like this one bit. It was one thing that her soulmate held her and drooled over her it was another thing entirely when too large for comfort guys did it who didn't even know her.

I put my arm around my little sister and glared at all the drooling boys who soon backed down. 'Let's go find those Black people.' I said to low for the humans around us to hear. Melody nodded and I steered us away from the gathering crowd. As we walked past several shops and houses I felt Melody stiffen next to me and I knew why. For some reason we were being followed and I could guess by whom. The only things that would follow us were those dogs we were actually looking for. They lived to protect their people and we were intruders of some kind.

'Let's go meet our followers.' Melody suggested in a low whisper. 'I think that's a great idea.' I grinned back. We casually strolled past a few more shops and Melody even pretended to be interested in one of the shops so that I could check where our followers were. The moment I located them I nudged my sister and we both walked past the shop and into the surrounding forest.

We only had to walk for a few minutes before I caught glimpses of different colours of fur. 'There here.' I said in a mocking sing song voice. 'Does any of you have the name Black?' Melody asked out loud. We heard a growl come from our left but didn't move as a giant black and russet coloured wolf walked up to us from between the trees. We stood completely still as both wolfs sniffed at us from every angle before they ran back into the trees. A few seconds later two too large man came walking from the trees and they were both looking at us as if we were some sort of deadly virus or something.

'What do you want? Why are you looking for someone named Black?' The younger of the two spat. 'Asking double questions like that is really annoying you know.' I spat back to the little pup. The pup started shaking then but the older looking one held his hand up as a sign to stop and to my surprise he did. 'Just answer the questions.' The older one growled. 'We're looking for someone named Black and he is the only one who we'll explain everything to.' Melody said firmly. 'I'm Black, Jacob Black.' The younger one said and this time it wasn't a sneer.

This little revelation shocked me a bit but, he was a wolf though I had expected him to be a bit… older. Then again, he might be really old just like me and just not age. 'Now who are you?' Jacob asked again and this time he had a hint of finality in his voice. 'We're here to ask you something, pup.' Melody said as sweetly as she could. 'About what?' the older one asked. 'About an army of newborn vampires who will soon come this way to attack my family.' Melody replied.

**Melody POV**

Sitting in a circle on the forest floor wasn't really something I minded but doing it with a bunch of boys who could turn into giant wolfs was something completely different. Every one of them was staring at my brother and me as if we were complete freaks and that was without them knowing about what we really are. Lucky for us the oldest looking one cleared his throat and everyone turned their attention to him.

'My name is Sam and I'm the pack Alpha. Jacob here is my second in command. This is the rest of the pack, he motioned to the others around us, 'and we would all like to know who you two are exactly.' I looked at Zackary but he motioned for me to tell them. 'My name is Melody Cullen and this is my brother Zackary. As you might have noticed my last name is the same as the vampire family who live close by.' 'Are you vampires?' One very angry looking guy asked. 'Do we look or smell like vampires?' Zackary drawled. 'Then again, I could look like a vampire if I wanted to.' He then mused which made me poke him in his side as this wasn't really helping.

'No, we're not vampires though we do live with them. It's a long story as to why we live with them but they are our family and right now the only human in our family, Bella Swan, is being targeted by an army of bloodthirsty newborns.' I explained. 'Wait; did you just say "the only human"?' Jacob asked. 'Yes, both my sister and I aren't human. What are we, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. We', Zackary motioned to himself and me, 'are phoenixes and no, not like giant fire birds but like super humans with wings.' Zackary explained in a way that made the dogs look like idiots. I had a hard time holding in my laughter but sobered up immediately when one of the boys exploded into his wolf form.

The silver grey wolf snarled loudly and with amazing speed launched himself at Zackary and I. Zackary let out a sigh and jumped to his feet before spreading his large, sandy brown wings behind him. The only thing I did was hold out my hand and making a grabbing movement. The silver grey wolf stopped mid-launch and I heard the other boys inhale sharply. Before any of them could react Zackary jumped up and landed on top of the wolf, effectively making it impossible for him to even twitch his tail.

I dropped my hand, as the wolf wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and turned my gaze back to Sam and Jacob. 'As my brother was saying, we are phoenixes. We are much stronger and faster than humans and our senses are extremely sharp. As you can see when you look at my brother, we have large eagle like wings which we use to fly and we each have a special ability. My ability is telekinesis and my brother over there can change the way he looks.' I explained.

'You have wings too?' Jacob asked curiously and I could tell that he wanted to see them and not just get a spoken answer. I sighed but stood up and let my wings spread out behind me. I heard a few gasps as I flexed my wings before folding them on my back and sitting back down. Zackary sat down as well which looked funny as he as sitting on a too large for comfort wolf who was whimpering beneath him. 'Now that we all know what we are, let's get down to business.' Zackary drawled. 'We will as soon as you release Paul.' Sam stated. Zackary turned his head to me and gave me a "do I have to" look. I grinned at him but nodded as we wouldn't get anywhere if he stayed on top of the pup.

Zack jumped up and landed in a sitting position next to me while the wolf called Paul ran into the forest. As Zack was folding his wings behind him properly a human Paul came back from his change and sat down next to Jacob with a scowl on his face. I flashed him a mean grin which he returned with a venomous glare which only made me grin more.

'About the threat.' Sam began. 'Yes, there is a newborn vampire army near Seattle and they will come to attack our family soon. As we've already told you, we have one human member of the family by the name of Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter.' I told them and continued with telling them the short version of Bella's history with vampires all the way to the fact that Edward was her soulmate.

None of the Pack was happy with the fact that Bella would probably be turned into a vampire at some point but they were even less happy with the approaching vampire army. 'What can we do to help?' Sam asked after a long period of silence in which he had, probably, been thinking things through. 'We, my family and me, would like to ask you to help us in the upcoming battle. My mate, Jasper, is the best strategist alive and will train everyone to fight the newborns. He has a lot of experience with this so you won't find a better trainer anywhere. If you don't want to get close to the vampires in our family then you can communicate through Zackary and me.' I explained.

I looked around and saw several of the wolfs nod in agreement and a very young looking one was even grinning at me as if the prospect of fighting newborns was something extremely fun. 'We are willing to help you and will accept your offer to communicate through you two instead of directly with the vampires.' Sam said after every one of the wolfs had nodded their heads at him in agreement. 'Thank you, we will contact you about the first meeting later today.' I said with a small smile. 'Don't forget that we'll probably be training at night so be sure to be awake.' Zackary grinned as some of the guys started yawning.

We quickly exchanged phone numbers so that we could contact each other if necessary. Sam told us that he was going to have extra patrols and that he would call us if one of his pack members would come across an unknown vampire scent. They also assured us that they were familiar with the scent of our family so that they wouldn't mistake it for an intruder.

Zackary and I said our goodbyes for now and walked back to the car in quiet so I could tell Jasper that everything had gone okay and that we would tell the rest once we got home. I felt a lot better as this meeting had gone way better than I had expected. Zackary let me drive back home and to his surprise I floored it and we made it home in record time. 'How did it go?' Dad asked as soon as we were back in the house. Before I could answer him Jasper raced towards me and hugged me tight. He then crushed his lips to mine and I got lost in the kiss in a second. _You're alright._ Jasper murmured in his thoughts. I didn't reply but instead let all the love I felt for him become my most dominant emotion. His reaction was to deepen the kiss and projecting his love to me.

When we finally broke apart I saw Zackary and Alice do the same thing. Apparently both of our mates had been worried about us. I was about to ask why Alice didn't just see what was going to happen when she said it herself. 'I couldn't see you anymore. The last thing I saw was you and Melody entering a forest and then… nothing.' Alice told Zackary but all of us could hear her perfectly, even Bella, who was awake again, as Alice was talking at a normal human speed. 'That was the moment we met the wolves so I guess you can't see them then.' Zackary mused.

Alice nodded in agreement but I could see this was bothering her. I can still remember how she felt when I was the one blocking her. Dad cleared his throat then which made me remember his earlier question. 'It went alright, dad.' I told him with a smile. 'What we need to do now is set a night in which we will begin training.' Zackary said. 'Jasper, they are willing to learn from you… Will you teach them?' I asked my mate. 'I'm not used to training anything else than vampires but it should be a nice challenge.' Jasper said with a grin on his face.

'When will we be able to hold the first meeting and training session?' Dad asked. 'They can come whenever we call them.' I told him as I sat down on the couch. 'I want to be there when you train.' Bella piped in from her spot on Edward's lap. 'Bella… it's too dangerous.' Edward murmured. 'I don't care. I want to be there as it concerns me as well. I promise to stay away from the actual training but I do want to see what's happening and I want to know what you guys decide.' Bella said firmly and with a lot of confidence as I could feel it through Jasper.

We soon decided on a date and I called Sam to tell him that we would start the training the day after tomorrow at the baseball clearing. As the wolfs had no idea where this was I quickly told them to come in from the south so that they could follow our scent. Sam hung up after that and I settled back on Jasper's lap. We were all quiet for the rest of the evening, thinking about the upcoming weeks and events.

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**Review and let me know what you think of the chapter :)**

**~Marieke~**


	34. The newborn battle

**Emmett and Jasper POV, enjoy :)**

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**Emmett POV**

I was literally bouncing through the room in anticipation. We would have our first how-to-kill-newborns lesson tonight and all we had to wait for now was for Edward to arrive with Bella. My human baby sister had insisted on coming with us and I had to admire her persistence. I was sure she was going to be one tough vampire some day.

We all heard the sound of Edward's Volvo and the steady heartbeat that came with it. Bella's heartbeat was faster than normal and I couldn't blame her. This was all extremely exciting and I really couldn't wait. I raced outside just in time to see Edward open the door for a nervous looking Bella. She gave me a small smile, then waved to my family who had come outside after me. 'Ready to go?' Jasper asked seriously to everyone. 'Sure are, let's go!' I whooped loudly. Bella climbed onto Edward's back so that she would be able to keep up with us as Bella Backpack.

Melody spread her wings behind her and put an arm around Jasper's waist. Zackary had decided that he would run with us as he had wanted to race me for quite some time. 'See you at the clearing.' Jasper said and a second later Melody launched herself into the air. 'See you at the clearing.' I smirked to Zackary. I didn't give him a change to say something back as I shot into the forest towards the clearing. I wasn't running at full speed yet and I chanced a glance behind me to see how my competition was doing so far. Of course, looking back was a mistake as Zackary came closer to me really fast.

Before I had time to react he sped past me. 'Eat my dust, vamp-boy.' He yelled. A low, playful growl escaped then and I put up a burst of speed. I soon caught up with him and we were running neck to neck as we neared the clearing. We burst through the trees about the same time but I was sure I had won. 'I win!' I yelled at the exact same moment Zackary yelled the same thing. 'It was a tie.' Jasper chuckled from the left where he was sitting on a rock formation with Melody sitting behind him, a bit higher.

'It so wasn't a tie as I clearly won.' I said smugly. 'You couldn't have won as I was the one who was out of the forest first.' Zackary drawled. We continued bickering like that until Alice spoiled it. 'It was a tie. I saw it the moment you decided to race but you didn't wait for me to tell you.' She chirped happily. I huffed but had to admit that it was a tie then. Alice her visions were never wrong about these things. 'Next time I will win bird-boy.' I growled playfully. 'You're on, vamp-boy.'

Not long after we arrived at the clearing the wolf pack arrived as well. 'Amazing…' Edward whispered and I growled at him in frustration. He and his stupid mind reading ability made him forget that no one could understand what he was talking about but him. 'Care to elaborate?' I asked as Edward once again remained silent after saying something was "amazing". 'The pack's mind… it functions as one.' Edward explained quietly so that only we could hear. I wasn't even sure Bella could hear so the wolfs were definitely out of the question.

The largest of the pack had a russet colour and was looking at Bella as if he knew her. I growled at him as a warning to stay away from my baby sister and it had the desired effect of the wolf backing down. It was kind of a shame that I wasn't allowed to test my strength against the wolfs. They were our natural enemy and I had always wondered who was stronger; the wolf or the vampire. Edward chuckled at my thoughts but I just ignored him.

In the middle of the wolf pack stood a man in human form. He motioned for Melody to come over and I could tell that Jasper wasn't going for this. He pulled her closer and growled at the man while Melody looked at him apologetically. The man raised an eyebrow before turning his gaze on Zackary who nodded and quickly ran over to him. They discussed something too soft for us to hear before Zackary ran back to tell us what the big news was. 'He just wanted to tell us that they are only here to watch and not to participate. They'll remember the advice we give and will train with it later on their own. Sam, the leader who I was just talking to, is going to change now because he feels more comfortable in wolf form when he's this close to vamps.' Zackary explained quickly.

'Okay, let's get this started.' Jasper said and I couldn't agree with him more. All this standing around and talking wasn't what we had come here for. Jasper went to stand between the wolf pack and us but kept his gaze on us as if he was trying to ignore the fact that half a dozen, really bad smelling wolfs were standing behind him. He told us everything he knew about newborns except for why he knew so much about them. We all knew that story, even Bella as we told her a few days ago, and had decided that it was none of the wolfs' business.

'Emmett, care to help me give a demonstration?' Jasper asked with a grin after he finished his explanation. I jumped up, as I sat down during the explanation out of boredom, and ran to stand in front of Jasper. 'Just attack me head on like a newborn would do.' He told me. 'My pleasure.' I said with a smirk. I launched myself at Jasper who crouched down in a defensive position. As I was about to hit him, hard I might add, he jumped to the side and before I knew it he had me pinned to the ground in a very uncomfortable way.

I growled at Jasper in frustration and as a sign that he could let go as I got the message. Jasper let go of me and I jumped to my feet again as he explained what had happened and what he had done to avoid it. 'Never go for the easy kill.' He said, emphasizing each word carefully. Everyone nodded, even the wolfs, which looked very funny, before Jasper continued the lesson. After a few more rounds of me biting the dust, literally, it was time for Edward to show what he was made of.

It was fun to see Jasper fight Edward even though it was only a play fight. Edward would hear what Jasper would want to do, but Jasper had way more experience in fighting than Edward which meant it was quite an even fight. In the end neither of them won which left them both grinning like fools. Next came my Rosie and I had to admit that she was doing very well. She kept standing longer than I had but in the end, Jasper won that fight as well. He gave Rose some instructions before moving on to the next member of the family.

I watched as Alice, Esme and Carlisle all had their turn and was proud to say that I wasn't the fastest to go down. Both Esme and Carlisle went down quicker than I had. Jasper than turned to Bella. 'I know you're afraid for both Zackary and Melody as they aren't vampires and have blood flowing through their veins.' Bella just nodded but appeared too stunned by what had happened to speak. 'Zackary, if you please.' Jasper said.

Zackary grinned wickedly at Jasper as he went to stand opposite him. 'This should be fun.' He grinned. Jasper then surprised us by attacking first. With all of us he had waited for us to attack. Zackary waited until the last second before jumping up and… well… just hovered there with that same grin as before on his face. Jasper's head snapped up and less than a second later he had jumped up and grabbed Zackary by his ankles.

Before Jasper had gotten his feet back on the ground he flipped his body into a horizontal position and pulled Zackary with him. At the exact right time Jasper let go of Zackary which caused the big mouthed phoenix to fly at an alarming speed towards a couple of trees. Jasper landed and kept his eyes fixed on Zackary. The moment I thought he was going to hit the trees Zackary flipped backwards and planted his feet on the tree; using it as a platform to launch himself from. This went on for a couple of minutes and neither of them ever really got the upper hand.

Next came Melody and I heard her mutter, 'finally'. I chuckled at my little sister as I had noticed her getting anxious to get her turn in all of this. She went to stand in front of Jasper as relaxed as if they were going to play catch. Jasper started circling her slowly, for a vampire, and Melody just followed him with her eyes. The only thing she moved were her wings which twitched as if in anticipation. After circling her twice Jasper launched faster than I had ever seen him do it. Melody jumped to the side at the last second and punched her fist out. She didn't touch Jasper at all but still my brother flew to the side as if the punch had been dead on. Jasper flew out of the clearing and through a few trees before he could stop himself and launched back at Melody.

My sister was waiting for him though. She spread her wings and launched upward at the exact right moment. She then folded her wings and let herself fall down at an amazing speed. Luckily for Jasper he had a lot of experience in fighting so he got away and grabbed melody around her neck with one arm while securing her arms behind her back with his other arm. I heard Bella whimper and walked to her side. 'She's going to be alright. I know my baby sister and she always finds a way out of these kinds of things.' I told Bella. 'Edward said the same thing… but still.' Bella whispered. Edward pulled Bella closer to him and kissed the top of her head. 'Don't worry so much.' He said softly.

I turned my gaze back on the struggle between Melody and Jasper. In the short period of time I hadn't been looking Melody had wriggled herself free and was standing upside down with her hands on Jasper's shoulder. She gave him a fast wink before falling over and dragging Jasper with her. The moment her feet touched the ground she pulled Jasper over her shoulder and released him at exactly the right time. Jasper flew with magnificent speed, I doubted Bella would be able to follow it, towards the other side of the field but before he was halfway Melody stopped him with her power. She lowered Jasper to the ground slowly and released him again once his feet touched the ground. In less than a second Jasper was standing in front of his mate again with a grin on plastered on his face.

'I win.' Melody said with a similar grin. 'You go lil' sis!' I yelled happily. Of course my brother just had to kiss my baby sister before turning to us. 'You see, Bella? No need to worry about Melody. I would never let her get hurt.' He said the last thing more to Melody than to any of us and I made a gagging sound as they kept staring lovingly at each other. Melody turned to me and grinned. 'I know Emmett, I know.' She said while walking over to me. I grinned at her and held my hand up for a high five. She slapped her hand against mine with a grin. 'You were great out there, squirt.' I grinned.

'Emmett, again.' Jasper called and I walked to him with a last grin to Melody and Rose. Rose winked to me and gave me an air kiss. As before I readied myself opposite Jasper. I crouched down and a second later I launched myself at my brother. This time I didn't continue head on but instead stepped right at the last moment and my fist collided with Jasper's jaw less than a second later… or I thought it did as I was aiming for it. I had, however, hit his hand which he had put between my fist and his jaw just in time to catch it. He grinned at me and I answered his grin by making a high kick to his head. This one did hit its mark but Jasper wouldn't be Jasper if he didn't retaliate immediately.

The training went on like this, each of us going up against not only Jasper but each other as well, until the early morning. Anna was a surprisingly good fighter for a newborn but if things got to heated she would turn back to basic which meant she would get herself into trouble. Jasper had each of us fight against her so that she could learn the different styles vampires could use in a fight. She absorbed everything and became better and better with each new match.

Bella had fallen asleep halfway through it and was leaning against either Zackary or Melody as they didn't have an ice cold body which would cool her down too much. As the sun started to rise we called it a day… or night… whichever and Edward took Bella home. We continued like that for a couple of days until Alice got a vision of the newborns' attack. It was going to be in two days and so, it was time to plan for real.

**Jasper POV**

We were waiting in the clearing for the arrival of the newborns. Alice had told us they would come from the village side of the forest so we waited on the other side of the clearing. The wolfs were all hidden in the forest at a point where Alice had seen the newborns' futures disappear which meant that half of them would be destroyed by the wolfs.

Bella had made a trail earlier today that would lead the newborns right to us. She was now, with Edward and two of the wolfs, deep in the mountains and would stay there for the duration of the fight. She had wanted to be here in the clearing which would be a perfect strategic plan as the newborns would go crazy because of her scent. Edward had been the one to absolutely refuse to go along with this plan and so we had to do without it.

Anna on the other hand had refused to be left behind as she wanted to help fight to save Bella. Even though she had wanted to kill Bella when they first met she had worked hard on controlling her bloodlust and against all odds Bella and her had become quite good friends. We had put her at the back of our formation with Esme and Rosalie who would keep an eye on her and help whenever she needed it. In front of Esme, Rosalie and Anna stood Carlisle, Alice and Zackary and I stood at the front with Melody and Emmett.

We waited and listened for the arrival of the newborns. Alice was trying to get a glimpse of the exact time of arrival but hadn't found anything so far. The wind blew past me and I caught a whiff of the stink of the wolfs which meant they were in position. 'They're here.' Alice suddenly said and I looked back just in time to see her pull out of a vision. I felt everyone tense around me and instinctively reached for Melody's hand. She met me halfway and held on tight as we both looked at the other side of the clearing.

Soon we could all hear the rustle of leaves and a second later the bright red eyes of the newborns became visible between the trees along with two sets of deeper red eyes of the two vampires who were walking in front of the rest. They stopped as soon as all of them were out of the forest. There were thirteen newborns and two older vampires in front of us which meant that the others were going around to try and ambush us. They obviously didn't know about the wolfs, good.

'It seems our pet isn't here, Laurent.' The one with the ponytail drawled. Several of my family let out a growl at the word pet but didn't say anything. 'Well then we should finish up here quickly and find her, shouldn't we James.' The one called Laurent drawled back. So, they were called James and Laurent. Not that I cared as they would be dead soon but it was still nice to know the names of those you are about to kill… or so they say. I never really cared for such nonsense as the quicker you kill your enemy the less damage he or she can do to you.

The one called Laurent held out his arm as a sign to the newborns that they should wait as they were getting restless. 'This will be over soon.' he whispered, barely loud enough for us to hear. 'Take no prisoners.' James growled. Laurent put his arm down and in the blink of an eye the newborns launched themselves towards us. Emmett growled at the approaching newborns before launching himself towards two of them. A normal vampire would stop his assault but newborns didn't function that way.

I didn't see the end of Emmett's assault on the two newborns as two others flew directly towards Melody and me. I crouched down and observed my attacker. A great thing about being a vampire was that observing your enemy only took about a second. The only thing that the newborn listened to was his bloodlust which increased as he came closer to my mate. 'I love you.' Melody whispered before launching herself at the second newborn.

Halfway there she stretched her arm backwards and made a grabbing motion. The newborn who was coming towards me stopped and was pulled backwards the moment Melody swung her hand in a throwing motion towards the newborn she was engaging. The look on the newborn's face was priceless as he flew back. A loud crack resonated through the clearing as the two vampires collided in midair. _You focus on the older vamps._ Melody told me as she came to stand in front of the two newborns who were on their feet again.

I didn't like the idea of my girl fighting two newborns on her own but I had my own battle to fight. I knew Melody was more than capable of fighting these two but it still felt wrong. I didn't get more time to think about it as another newborn attacked me from my left. His bloodlust wasn't as bad as the one from before and his eyes were slightly less crimson which meant he was a little older than the others. I quickly ducked as the newborn made to grab me and shot my fist up to collide with his jaw with a satisfying crack.

The newborn flew backwards and I wasted no time in flashing to his back and grabbing his arms. The newborn's head shot back and his fear increased dramatically. I felt the grin I had worn while fighting in Maria's army spread across my face just before I pulled back and ripped both the newborn's arms from his body. The metallic screech it made echoed across the clearing and as if on cue the fear of all the newborns increased.

'Need some fire?' Zackary asked as he dropped his opponent who was in several pieces by now. I grinned at him before turning back to my own newborn. I lifted him up as I saw Zackary light his enemy with a green fireball. I grabbed the head of the young vampire with both my hands and before he could say or do anything I ripped it clean off his head with another metallic screech. I was about to throw the pieces towards the fire when they literally flew away from. _Just go after that James guy. Emmett broke free from his fight and is going to help you._ Melody said as she kicked a newborn straight in the head which made it summersault backwards a few times.

I reluctantly looked away from Melody and instead focussed on the two vampires who were watching from the sidelines. 'Emmett, let's go.' I growled too low for the two little wannabe generals to hear. As we advanced on them I heard more screeching sounds both from behind me as from the forest to the side which meant the wolfs were doing their job. As Emmett and I came nearer and nearer to James and Laurent I tuned out all other noises. The fighting, the growling, the screeching of limbs being torn off, everything was pushed back to a minimum volume.

'I guess the newborns aren't as good as Riley said.' The dark one, Laurent, drawled as we came to stand opposite them. 'You were foolish to believe that a couple of newborns could defeat a coven as large as ours.' Emmett drawled right back. 'Maybe so but I'm curious as to why the ones we send around for an ambush aren't here yet as they should obviously see that their comrades are losing.' James mused out loud. 'That's for us to know and for you to never find out.' I growled.

Before James could reply to this I launched myself at him. Of course he wasn't a newborn so he sidestepped me as I had expected he would. I let him think his plan had worked and made my move as soon as James moved to grab my arms. I jumped up and twisted at just the right time. James's arms grabbed only air as I landed behind him and grabbed both his still outstretched arms. I pulled both his arms backwards and placed both my feet in the small of his back at the same time. He growled as I pulled at his arms and pushed into his back at the same time. 'You will never be smarter or stronger in battle than the God of war, James.' He told him in a menacing whisper before ripping both his arms off with a satisfying screech.

As James howled in pain I wasted no time in throwing his arms into the now blazing fire. I chanced a glance over the battlefield and was glad to see that none of us was badly damaged but that there were still seven newborns left. Emmett was still battling Laurent but he was winning as Laurent had already lost an arm and a leg. I turned my head back to James to see him glaring at me. If looks could kill he would definitely have won right now but lucky for me that wasn't the case. We started circling each other but I could tell by his emotions that he had no hope of winning left.

'Let's end this.' I said while glaring him down. James's head snapped from me to Emmett and Laurent to me and then to the other side. 'You can't run, James. This is where it will end and you all brought it on yourself by threatening a member of my family.' I growled. 'I might not be able to run, but I might be able to take something from you before you can take my life.' James growled back and before I could stop him he launched himself directly to Melody who had just thrown her opponent into the fire. I raced after James but he had a head start and would reach Melody before I could get to him.

_Melody, behind you!_ I yelled in my head. Melody's head snapped up and she spun around to see James charging her. Without wasting any time she pushed her hand out like she always does when using her power. This time however her hand started to glow and I only got a second to jump aside before a red and gold fireball shot out of her fist and into James. He hadn't expected anything like this to happen and was unable to get away from it in time. He howled and screamed as the fire consumed him but I ignored him.

I raced to Melody's side but she didn't acknowledge me as I came to stand next to her. All she did was look at her hands and I could feel both horror and fascination come from her in waves. _I didn't feel it coming… it just… happened._ She whispered to me. _Don't worry about it now, honey. We have a battle to win after which we will both kill your brother for lying about all this._ I told her. She looked up to me and smiled and I saw her red golden eyes twinkle at my words. Wait… red golden eyes? So at least that was true about what Zackary had said. Her eyes were the same colour as her fire had been.

We both didn't have time to dwell on this as two newborns noticed our distraction and decided to take us by surprise. They hadn't counted on the fact that I was an empath and could sense what they would do. Melody felt it through me and we both surprised the newborns by reacting immediately to their attack. Both of them were quite new and being near Melody was making their bloodlust the strongest emotion which overshadowed all other emotions. This was their downfall and I dismembered mine in a matter of seconds. I looked up just in time to see Melody dismember the other newborn and use her power to throw the pieces into the fire that had once been James.

I looked around again and saw that the fight had ended. Emmett had taken good care of our friend Laurent. He was rubbing his arm and I could feel the pain that came from the bite wound he had gotten. Rosalie darted to her husband's side and kissed his arm tenderly before kissing him passionately on his lips. I looked further and saw that Carlisle was holding Esme tight against him and were watching as the newborns burned. They were both feeling sad and I knew it pained them to have killed those who had no choice in what they were doing. Neither of them had any bite marks on them for which I was glad.

Zackary was kissing Alice and I couldn't find any bite marks on her either. So far only Emmett had gotten a mark and that was probably because he was toying with his opponent too much. I let my gaze drift and saw Anna standing a bit too the side. She had a couple of bite marks on her arms and one on her neck but was feeling really proud which was pushing the pain of the wounds away. I turned back to Melody and was about to lean down to kiss her when her fear spiked. She wasn't looking at me and I followed her gaze which was fixed on Anna.

Without a warning Melody shot towards Anna just as a newborn jumped out of the forest towards her. 'Anna, run!' Melody screamed. Anna didn't question Melody and bolted to the side as fast as she could. At the same time Melody brought both her hands to her side which started to glow. As Melody's anger spiked she pushed both her hands forward and two massive fireballs shot from them. The newborn didn't even have time to react as the fire hit him and consumed him in seconds.

Melody was breathing heavily as she slowly dropped to the ground and folded her wings behind her. As her feet touched the ground she collapsed and I was glad that I had vampire speed so that I could catch her before she actually hit the ground. I looked her over, afraid to see injuries that I had missed earlier, but didn't find anything. She was just feeling exhausted and I couldn't blame her. That last attack looked extremely powerful.

Melody opened her eyes then and gave me a weak smile. 'Don't worry… I'm fi―' she began but stopped midsentence. Her eyes grew big and I could feel her body temperature rising quickly. 'Get back.' She screeched and she pushed me back with more power than I thought she had in her weakened state. The moment I was away from her a giant red golden fire sprang to life around her. I looked in horror as the love of my life was engulfed in the flames, no longer visible through them.

Melody's fear and pain spiked then and it crippled me. I fell to my knees and let out a loud howl as if the pain was my own. The flames began to diminish then and snuffed out a second later as if they had never existed. The only thing left was a plume of smoke which was slowly rising upwards and a chocolate brown feather lying on the grass where Melody had been standing only seconds before.

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**Review please ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	35. Rescue and escape plans

**Jasper and Melody POV, enjoy ^_^**

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**Jasper POV**

She was gone… my girl was gone… my soulmate… gone. Those were the words that kept repeating itself in my head. Everything that had happened after the fight had been a blur to me. Edward had apparently defeated Victoria with the help of Seth and Jacob. Victoria had taken one of her older newborns with her but Edward had convinced him that surrendering was a better idea than trying to fight.

The newborn had introduced himself as Riley and had come back home with us. Edward had taken Bella home and had stayed there to be sure she would be alright. You see, even though I was in a horrible place right now I could still hear and see what was going on. The blessed and the cursed part of being a vampire was that I had to endure everything that going on around me even though I couldn't care less at the moment.

I clutched Melody's feather closer and a tearless sob escaped my mouth as I once again tried to contact her through our link. Just as before the only thing I could feel was peace and her thoughts were quiet. She didn't react to my thoughts at all either and the only thing that kept me going was the fact that I knew she was alive. Our link was still there and I could sense her but that was it. No thoughts or feelings from her came through the link and I just didn't know what to do.

Over the past few days everyone of my family had entered my room at least once to try and talk to me but I had refused to say anything back. The only thing they accomplished was bringing their pain of losing Melody with them to strengthen mine. Today no one had come up yet and I was glad. The pain coming from downstairs together with mine was more than enough already.

As the days continued several of my family went out to hunt, including Riley and Anna who had taken a liking to each other. I just sat in the corner of my room, ignoring the calls from Carlisle to come hunting with them and later ignoring Rosalie who asked whether I would want to come down. Luckily she was already expecting for me to disappoint her and I did just that. None of them had any idea what I was going through and so talking wouldn't help me anyway. That had been two days ago and since then no one had tried to approach me.

I breathed in deeply and the scent of Melody intoxicated me. It only came from the one feather I was holding but it was all I had left along with a drawing she had made about a week ago. It was a drawing of us together in the living room. I was sitting on the loveseat and Melody was sitting on my lap. We were looking at each other lovingly and I could almost feel the love we had for each other come out of the drawing. Another dry-sob wrecked through my body and I curled up even more though I was careful not to crumple the drawing.

At that exact moment, when I was feeling worse than ever, my dear phoenix brother burst through the door… literally. Pieces of wood flew around me and I looked up from my position in the corner in shock. Everyone had come by at some point over the past few days but they always stood on the other side of the door and only asked me to come down. I had refused them every time and they would just go downstairs with feelings of defeat and worry radiating from them.

'Stop moping over there and come downstairs to help us make a plan on how to get my sister back.' Zackary growled and before I could say or do anything he had lifted me up, thrown me over his shoulder and started walking downstairs as if he was carrying a bag of potatoes. I could feel Zackary's determination over this so I knew that trying to fight him so that I could get back to my room was futile. I was also kind of curious as to what this plan might be.

Zackary had not come home with us after the fight and instead he had flown off saying that he needed to look into something or another. Well, he was back now and apparently not going to sit by and feel sorry for himself.

My brother dumped me, yes dumped, on the couch next to Rosalie and sat himself down on the other side. I glared at him for putting me through this but remained seated as he glared back with a "don't even think about running back up there" look. Everyone else was in the room as well and they were all looking expectantly at Zack who was feeling cockier by the second.

'As you all know I've been doing some searching as to what happened to Melody, since it's not in the nature of a phoenix to wallow in self pity, and I think I know.' Zackary stated. This caught my attention and for the first time since Melody had disappeared I felt hope of finding her. 'What? 'What have you found out?' I asked, grabbing Zackary's shirt and shaking him. 'Easy, bro. You don't have to shake it out of me by force.' Zack chuckled. I released him and took a deep, unnecessary breath, and sat myself down again. 'Anyway, I think that my dear uncle has something to do with my sister's disappearance. She used her fire power for the first time during the battle and it had come abruptly. Normally it takes a couple of phases before the fire actually appears but my guess is that the adrenaline from the battle caused it all to go in fast forward.'

Well that at least explained why the story Zack had told before was wrong. 'As the Master, my uncle can sense every phoenix who comes into their fire power. As he has wanted Melody home from the moment she was taken away from it he would have been monitoring her.' 'But what does that have to do with the fact that she teleported away from me… from us!' I cried. 'The Master has the ability to take control of the power of others as well as the power to teleport someone who uses their fire power for the first time. He must have sensed Melody's fire power and used it to teleport her to him.'

I was shocked. Melody had been taken away by the one who ruled all phoenixes. If we were to get her we would be walking into a death trap for sure. How could we ever fight creatures that were equally strong as us and could burn us to a crisp in less than a second? I let my head fall in my hands and sighed in defeat. As much as I wanted to get Melody out of there I knew it would be impossible to do so. That was the plus side of having been in armies. I knew how to plan and strategise and I knew when some things just weren't going to work at all. If I was going to go there, where ever "there" was, I would need a good strategic plan so that I wouldn't get killed before I could get my mate out of there. Whatever happened to me after she was saved wasn't something I thought about. As long as my girl was safe… that's all that matters.

'I know what you must be thinking and you're wrong.' Zackary said and my head snapped towards him in awe. 'How did you…' I started to ask but trailed off at the end. 'You vampires are all the same in this. The whole "as long as my mate is safe then it doesn't matter what happens to me thing" is something you guys all have in common.' Zack growled. 'Don't you ever think about how your mate will feel if you die in an attempt to keep him or her safe?' This shut all of us up and I could feel the shame of every vampire in this room increasing dramatically. I glanced at the others and saw Esme and Carlisle shooting glances at each other as did Rosalie and Emmett. They would sacrifice themselves in the blink of an eye if that would safe their mate.

'Anyway, you don't even think about sacrificing yourself for Melody because the moment you are gone she will die too. When phoenixes make a bond like you have with Melody the death of the one they love will result in the death of themselves. The only one who has ever been able to survive this is my father and no one knows how he did it.' Zackary's words were met by more silence which made his annoyance increase. 'You can all stop with the silent treatment now.' 'Sorry.' I muttered. 'I just never thought of it that way… I don't think any of us have.' I looked around at my family and all of them nodded.

'How do you propose we safe my daughter?' Esme asked after some more silence. 'That might be a problem as I kind of betrayed the Master by choosing you guys over him. Melody is probably being watched all the time now and to get into the castle and find her is going to be tricky. We shouldn't be going in a large group either… maybe two or three and I have to be one of them as I will be doing the transporting part of it all. So, who's coming wi― 'I'm coming.' I said before Zackary could finish his sentence. Zackary smiled smugly and clapped me on my shoulder. 'I knew you would say that.'

Zackary looked around to the rest of my family and they were all looking at each other. I felt they all wanted to come but somehow didn't know if they should. 'I want to go but I don't think I'll be of much use.' Anna said and I could tell that she was feeling horrible about the fact that she couldn't do anything. 'Rose will go.' Alice said and I turned to her to see that she was having a vision. She came out of it and gave Zackary a small smile before turning to me. 'Everyone will say why they should and shouldn't go but in the end Rose will kind of yell that she wants to go. She really wants to safe her sister and best friend.' She explained, ending with a smug smile towards Rose.

'Well I guess we don't have to search any further, Rosalie's our girl.' Zackary stated. Rose took my hand and squeezed it in a comforting gesture. 'We'll find her, Jasper. I won't let anything happen to you or my sister.' She said. 'Or to myself.' She quickly added as Zackary scowled at her.

We started planning after this and practicing. Well, Zackary started practicing. Carlisle had thought about his whole "changing your appearance" thing and he was sure that, with a bit of practice, Zackary should be able to change the appearance of others as well. I wasn't a hundred percent confident that this was going to work but it had to. I didn't want to lose Melody and this was the only way we were going to get her back.

A week after we began planning we were ready. Zackary had drawn several maps of the castle we were going to infiltrate and Rosalie had studied them until we knew them by heart, so to speak. Zackary had mastered how to change others which had been interesting to see when he did it to several of us in the past week. We were standing in the backyard and Zackary was concentrating hard. I watched as Rosalie's changed right in front of my eyes. Her skin became a bit tanned, her eyes turned from gold to an aqua blue and her hair became a bit darker blond than her original vampire colour.

I was next and I could feel the tingling feeling that the change brought with it. I knew what I would look like now as he had done this before when he had told me to look in a mirror to see what he had done then. I had bright blue eyes, a normal human skin colour and my hair had a few streaks of brown in it. The most brilliant thing about the whole transformation was that whatever Zackary turned himself or in this case somebody else into was always complete. In this case both Rosalie and I had been turned into phoenixes which meant we had wings. Mine were a light brown with two rows of brown feather which were in the middle from top to bottom on both wings. Rosalie's were a red brown colour which matched perfectly with her hair. We wouldn't be able to fly as it was just an illusion but they sure looked amazing. I could feel Rosalie's pride at the wings on her back and chuckled lightly at this.

'Ready?' Zackary asked. We both nodded and each grabbed one of Zackary's hands. Even though we looked like phoenixes, wings and all, we didn't have the fire power a real phoenix had. Rosalie and I both linked our free hands so that we were standing in a small circle. 'Here we go.' Zackary said happily and before I could even say goodbye to our family a green fire erupted around us and everything disappeared.

**Melody POV**

The burning was strange but not painful. It was a sort of tingling feeling but that was it. When the fire finally disappeared I gasped as I took in the sight before me. I was standing in a very large, beautiful garden. It looked wonderful and I felt at ease in less than a second. I let myself fall backwards and closed my eyes, letting all the stress from the fight flow out of me.

'Are you enjoying yourself, young one?' My eyes snapped open and I jumped up and crouched down in the same second. A guy with wings was standing in front of me with a wry smile on his face. 'You cannot be here.' He said and he didn't leave any room for discussion. 'I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I was transported here and I couldn't do anything about it.' I told him. I might have sounded a bit too smug but I didn't care. The first bliss about the beautiful garden had left me by now and the fact that someone had transported me here against my will began to sink in.

_Jasper? Where are you?_ I asked while keeping my eyes focussed on the guy before me. When Jasper didn't answer I tried again while sending him a bit of my frustration. Again I didn't get an answer and that's when I noticed I couldn't feel his emotions either. The only thing I could feel was peace and I was sure that where ever he was, he wasn't at peace. I had left him standing on the battlefield and as I couldn't contact him or he me, probably, he would be freaking out by now. 'You will have to leave, now.' The man in front of me stated and made to grab me. I quickly put my hand forward and used my power to stop him halfway. 'What the…' The man said but before he could do or say anything more I ran.

I had no idea whether the guy was following me or not but I didn't care. I had to get out of here as soon as possible and find a way back home. The first exit I saw was the one I took. I had no idea where this would lead me but it was at least something beyond that garden. After another few turns and twists I stopped and listened. I could hear people walking around and talking but none of them were running or sounding like they were searching for something… or someone in this case.

One lucky thing about this place was that I didn't have to hide my wings as everyone here seemed to be phoenixes. I continued on my way but at a normal pace this time so that I wouldn't draw any attention to myself. As I headed further into what seemed to be a castle I had to admit I kind of lost my way. I had taken too many turns when I was running and I had no idea how to get back outside again. 'Found you!' a familiar voice I didn't want to hear called from behind me.

Without turning to look around I raced off again down what seemed to be an endless corridor. Just my luck to get stuck in a place with no way to turn while someone was chasing me. When there finally was a door to go through I took my chance and ran through it. I quickly closed the door behind me and leaned against it while sighing loudly.

'Welcome, young one.' I jumped up and looked around to see where the new voice had come from. My eyes fell on a thrown on the other side of the room. On the thrown sat someone with jet black half long hair, piercing blue eyes, a crown on his head and jet black wings on his back. 'The Master.' I whispered but I knew he could hear me as his hearing was probably as good as mine. 'I see you've heard d of me.' The Master said as he slowly rose from his seat. 'Yes I've heard of you, but nothing good I assure you.' I spat as the Master came closer.

It was hard to think that this man was my uncle but Zackary had said he was. 'It took you a while to make your way home, didn't it?' my _uncle_ asked as he walked closer. I took a step back and grabbed the door handle. As I tried to turn it I came to another realisation: The door had been locked from the outside. 'You don't have to be scared of me, my niece.' The Master continued. 'And here I thought that being locked in with a crazy man was something to be scared of.' I drawled sarcastically. To my surprise the Master just shook his head and chuckled lightly. 'My dear, I am not a crazy man. I'm your uncle and would therefore never hurt you. I would just like to meet you personally if that is alright with you of course.' He said all this as if this was all very normal and I couldn't help but question his sanity again.

I stood completely still as the Master came closer and shuddered slightly as he gave me a quick hug. 'I know this is all very sudden for you but don't worry, this is where you're supposed to be.' The Master told me sincerely as he pulled back and looked at me fondly. I could almost see the face of an uncle before me but his smile didn't reach his eyes which made me cautious. 'It will take some time for you to get used to your new home and family but I'm sure you'll be able to adjust nicely.' The Master continued. This statement shocked me and I stared at the phoenix in front of me as if he had grown an extra head.

'You're talking like you think I'm staying here a minute longer.' I snapped as I once again tried to open the door, using more of my strength this time. To my delight the handle moved a little bit and while keeping my eyes on my dear uncle I used all of my strength at once. The handle snapped in my hand but I wasn't discouraged by this. 'Now look what you did. I'll have to buy a new handle for my door.' The Master said while still smiling that creepy smile. 'I'm afraid you're going to have to buy more than just a handle _Master_.' I sneered his title at the same time as I pushed my hand backwards. The door creaked and flew backwards before crashing into the corridor wall with a satisfying crash.

I didn't wait for the Master to say anything more and just bolted right through the doorway and into the corridor. I didn't get far though, when I had taken about ten steps I stopped midstride and wasn't able to move a muscle. 'I was about to tell you about my powers but I guess you'll have to find out this way.' The Master said from behind me. I let out a hiss and tried with all my strength to free myself but to no avail. When the Master came walking around me from the right I followed him with my eyes and for once wished looks really could kill.

'My power is to copy the powers of other phoenixes to an extent. If you had run too far from me I wouldn't have been able to use your power against you but now, as you can see, I can. I can also summon a phoenix who has just come to use his or her fire power so that I can see who he or she is and what other power they have. ' I glared at the Master but didn't say anything. If he was going to get me to surrender this way he was mistaken. 'My other power is the power to read minds at will. I do so regularly with my subjects as I like to know that they are still loyal to me.' He chuckled at his own little joke but I couldn't see the humour in it. Edward had no choice but to hear the thoughts of others and apologized regularly for the intrusion but this idiot loved the fact that he could monitor the thoughts of others.

I just glared at him as he concentrated on something I couldn't see. A second later I knew what was happening and I prayed to whatever god would listen that my shielding power worked against the Master as well. The Master kept concentrating but after a few seconds his features turned into an angry grimace and finally he opened his eyes. 'It seems my power doesn't work on you… fascinating.' He mumbled, more to himself then to me. 'Serena!' He called then and before I could ask who that was a female phoenix appeared behind the Master. 'Yes Master.' She said in an extremely humble way while bowing her head low. 'Take the young one here to her room.' He told this Serena who just bowed and came to stand next to me. She grabbed my arm lightly and less than a second later I got control of my body again.

'Follow me, my lady.' Serena said and she tucked on my arm lightly as a sign that I should follow her. I gave my dear uncle another death glare before letting Serena pull me away. We walked down the corridor in silence and took a few turns along the way. After a few minutes we walked into a garden but this one was different from the one I had been in before. In this garden there were a lot more people just walking or sitting or having a conversation with each other. It all looked so normal that I was taken aback by it a little. 'My lady, we should keep moving.' Serena said a bit urgently. I snapped out of my daze and nodded. 'We'll have to fly for a bit, are you ready for that?' I snorted. 'Of course I'm ready to fly. I'm _always_ ready to fly.' I told her without looking at her.

I spread my wings and launched myself into the air without waiting for Serena to catch up. The air was speeding past me and it felt amazing as the air was extremely clean here. I breathed in deeply as I heard Serena catch up with me. 'This way, my lady.' She said and flew off towards the north. I rolled my eyes at her constant humbleness and sped after her.

Serena didn't say a word the entire way and only glanced back once as if she was afraid I wouldn't be there anymore. We arrived at a tower on the north side of the castle a few minutes later, we had been flying at a slow pace, and Serena motioned for me to fly through a large window. I landed on a soft carpet and folded my wings on my back as Serena landed beside me and did the same. 'This will be your room from now on, my lady.' Serena said with a bow.

I nodded and looked around my prison. It had a fluffy looking bed, a wardrobe and a door which probably let to a bathroom. 'That door leads to the bathroom.' Serena said, confirming my thoughts. 'Please don't try to run away, my lady. The Master will not be pleased when you do so.' Serena explained and with one last bow she was gone. I sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. This wasn't good at all. I was stuck in the world where my brother had come from and had been caught by my uncle who had apparently brought me here.

I tried contacting Jasper again but was once again met by silence and that same peaceful feeling as before. I figured that this probably had to do with the fact that I was in another world all together and so our link was useless. I could feel his presence somehow which gave me some comfort but it wasn't the same at all. A sigh escaped my lips as I let myself fall backwards on the bed, retracting my wings as I fell. 'What is troubling you, my lady?' My eyes snapped open and I sat up again to see Serena standing in my window. I took this opportunity to look at Serena properly for a moment. She had light blue eyes, platinum blond hair and her wings were snowy white. In short; she looked like an actual angel.

Serena cleared her throat then and I snapped out of my trance. 'What's troubling me is that I'm stuck here with no way out any time soon and the fact that I can't reach my mate through our link.' I was snapping at the end of my rant and could see that Serena was leaning back a bit. I calmed myself down a bit and gave Serena a small smile. It wasn't her fault I was here but the Master's fault. 'My lady… can I come in?' Serena asked hesitantly. I nodded and motioned for her to sit down beside me. She looked shocked by this but recovered quickly and sat down next to me.

I couldn't understand why Zackary hadn't liked Serena. She was a nice woman who was only being humble because of the status I apparently had here. 'My lady I―' I held up my hand to silence her and her eyes grew big with fear. I quickly put my hand down and gave her a reassuring smile. 'I just wanted to say you can call me Melody instead of "my lady" all the time.' I told her lightly. To my surprise Serena started shaking her head violently. 'I can't… he won't let me.' She whispered. I took her head lightly between my hands to stop her from shaking it and looked her in her eyes. 'You have my permission to call me by my given name.' I told her.

'But― 'No buts. It's an order.' I said smugly. 'My la… Melody, we aren't allowed to call you by the name the vampires have given you.' Serena said in a whisper. 'What?' I shrieked as I jumped up and started pacing in front of the bed, my anger from before having returned full force. 'What the hell is that all about? I have a name so why can't anyone use it? Is it because a vampire gave me my name? Well, I've got news for my dear uncle, my mate gave me my name and I sure as hell am not going to change it.' I was breathing heavily at the end of my rant by the anger which was now raging through my body. I had to get out of here and fast but I wasn't able to do this alone.

I turned to Serena again when an idea came to me. 'I have no idea how to teleport myself out of here but you do.' I stated. 'You can transport me, can't you?' I asked hopefully. Serena shook her head sadly, 'I'm sorry. I'm not powerful enough to transport anyone with me.' She told me. I thought about that for a moment before another idea came to me. 'You could teach me how to teleport!' I exclaimed happily. 'No… I couldn't… the Master…' Serena trailed off as I waved my hand dismissively at her. 'We'll do it in secret. Don't ask me why but I think my dear uncle can't read my mind. I'll talk to him about you becoming my personal assistant to help me adjust here which would mean you won't have to go near him again. He won't be able to read your mind and you'll be safe from his wrath when you call me by my name as he won't hear it to begin with.' I was rambling by now but I didn't care. I had thought of a plan to help me get back to my Jasper and a way to help Serena get away from the Master for at least a little bit. I had no idea whether she wanted to come with me the moment I would be able to go back but I'd find out soon enough.

I went to see the Master soon after I had convinced Serena to go along with my plan. He had welcomed me and seemed pleased that I wanted to do my best to fit in and that I had become friends with Serena already. He kept calling me "young one" and "my dear niece" and even said he would think of a proper name to call me by. I gritted my teeth as he said he would call me once he thought of a suitable name but I didn't say anything. Any resistance could mean more security which I really didn't need. He did tell me one thing I was very pleased with. It appeared that the garden I had been transported to before was the north garden which was only for those of the royal family. As I was one of those royals I was allowed to go there and because Serena was to help me with everything she was allowed as well as long as she was with me.

We spend most of our time in the secluded garden and only got into trouble the first time we were there. The guy who had chased me before saw us landing in the garden and ran to meet us. He had wanted to kick us out again but this time I stood my ground. I told him my name to which he responded with a snort. He told me he didn't know who I was so I had rolled my eyes at him and told him I was the nameless niece of the Master. He had wanted to verify this and had flown off only to return ten minutes later with a face the colour of a ripe tomato. He was stammering an apology before hurrying off again to stand guard at the entrance of the garden while Serena and I went to the other side so that we wouldn't be overheard by the sensitive phoenix hearing of the friendly guard.

Serena and I practised several things during our time in the garden and we soon became good friends. Serena told me all about her life and how her mother had also been a seer but had died about three-hundred years ago. She also explained that she and Zackary, or master Zackary as she called him, had once been good friends, but that it had all changed when she had predicted his Mother's death. He had blamed her for it even though he knew that it wasn't Serena's fault. Serena had to laugh a bit when I told her he was mated to a vampire seer now.

'Talk about ironic.' Serena giggled as she threw rocks at me from a great distance. 'I know, but he and Alice are really happy so I guess he got over the whole "someone who sees the future is a pain in the ass" thing.' I replied while shooting small fireballs at the rocks which destroyed them before they were halfway towards me. 'Maybe, but Alice didn't predict his mother's death.' Serena said and she sounded a bit sad. I blasted the last rocks out of the air and ran to her side. 'I'll talk to Zack about it the moment we get out of here.' I promised her. She gave me a small smile and I hugged her tight.

Yesterday Serena had told me she wanted to come with me once I could teleport and it made me unbelievably happy. I had been afraid to leave her behind once I learned how to teleport as the Master would surely find out she had helped me. I let go of Serena and let myself fall down on the grass. The sky was its usual blue though the evening clouds were making their appearance on the horizon.

A thing I had learned from my stay here was that there was a weather controlling phoenix here. He made sure that the days were filled with sunshine and that the rain would only come at night. The phoenix who was responsible for this was called Damian but I had only met him once. Serena had taken me to him after she had explained his power to me. I had taken pity on Damian the moment I saw him. He was sitting in a small tower chamber with glass walls and had to concentrate all the time. The moment he lost focus he lost control of his gift which meant the clouds would arrive too early. Damian had strict orders from the Master to keep the clouds away during the day which made me hate my uncle even more. I had vowed then and there to myself that I would take Damian away from here as soon as I could.

'We should head back, Mel.' Serena said, breaking through my stroll down memory lane. 'Just a few more minutes.' I mumbled while keeping my eyes closed. Serena sighed but didn't argue with me. I felt myself doze off a bit when a voice pierced through my thoughts. _Melody!_ I bolted upright, my eyes wide and hope filling my heart. 'Jasper.' I whispered.

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**Review please ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	36. The rescue

**Sorry I'm later than usual with updating but I just didn't have as much time to write as I normally have... **

**This chapter is entirely from Jasper's POV :) Enjoy ^_^**

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**Jasper POV**

The moment the fire disappeared I felt Melody's emotions again. I felt complete and I couldn't help myself; I called her through our link. Shock was the first thing I felt through our link followed by extreme happiness. _Jasper!_ She cried as she sent me all her love and longing. I didn't have long to enjoy this moment though as Zackary grabbed my arm and dragged me towards an alley together with Rosalie. 'No one knows you two but they all do know me. I'm pretty sure no one knows I betrayed the Master as I don't see any flyers with my name on it but we still have to be careful.' Zackary explained.

I nodded and looked around the corner of the alley to see where we had actually landed. The moment we had arrived I had only focussed on contacting Melody and hadn't really paid any attention to our surroundings. It appeared we were in a normal town, or at least as normal as possible with phoenixes walking everywhere. It was amazing to see so many of them together and I was sure we would see more of them along the way. 'We can't stay here forever.' Rosalie said and I could feel her worry for Melody increase. 'I know but I need to think for a second about what's the best plan of action.' Zackary drawled. 'And while you plan my baby sister is in trouble.' 'Yeah, because running towards her without a plan is going to help her.' 'There's a bigger chance of that helping than just standing here doing nothing!'

I rolled my eyes at my sibling and cleared my throat loudly to get their attention away from each other. 'What?' They both growled. 'How about we at least start walking towards the castle and think of a plan along the way.' I suggested. 'Fine.' Both of them sighed at the same time. I chuckled at the behaviour of both of them. They might be older than most people alive but they still had a childlike side to them.

We walked out of the alley as casually as possible and tried not to look anyone in the eye. I could feel Rosalie's excitement and awe at what she was seeing and I had to admit that I was a bit at awe as well. This place was nothing like earth. The houses looked the same as they did on earth but the way they were painted was completely different. Normally all the houses had the same colour, but here they each had their own colour. Bright yellow, brown, light green, dark green, black, you name it and they had it. Another thing that was completely different from earth were the plants and trees. Every tree in the street seemed to have some kind of fruit hanging from the branches and even though the shapes were different, the colours were the same: either silver or gold. The strangest thing was the fact that everyone had wings. Of course we had expected this but it was still an amazing sight.

This would be a wonderful place to stay for at least a while if it weren't for the situation we were in now. 'The castle is that way.' Zackary said. I snapped out of my gazing at the scenery and looked at what Zackary was pointing. I was kind of shocked to see where the castle actually was. On earth castles, or the remains of a castle nowadays, were build on top of a hill so that anyone who lived there could see the enemy coming from miles away. I had expected the castle here to be the same but apparently I had been mistaken. The castle here wasn't build on a hill but on a mountain and not just any mountain either. The mountain wasn't only high but also impossible to climb. Of course, in this world, that wouldn't be a problem but it would be for Rose and me. We couldn't fly with our fake wings and seeing two phoenixes _climb_ the mountain would draw too much suspicion to us.

'We'll have to get to it first and then we'll think about how we're going to get up there.' Zackary said. Apparently he didn't have an idea yet about how to get up to the castle either. 'Well, let's start walking then.' Rosalie said. Before either Zackary or I could react she started walking towards the castle. Zack and I looked at each other and shrugged as we followed Rose down the street.

We followed Rose quickly through town and were out of it after just a few minutes. I had to hand it to Rose; she knew how to get out of a crowded town like no other. She was radiating smugness from all the stares she had gotten from the guys in town and I was sure that some of them wouldn't be in one piece anymore if Emmett would have been here. Once we were out of the town we started running at full speed towards the castle. It felt great to be able to run without having to worry about anyone seeing us. _We're on our way, Mel. Just hold on a bit longer._ I told my girl. _I'll be waiting. Serena is here too and she can't see anything bad happening so far even though it is a bit blurry because of Rose and you._ Melody told me.

I relayed this information to Rosalie and Zackary who nodded in response. 'Never thought Melody would become friends with the Seer.' Zackary drawled but I could feel his amusement about it. 'Did Serena see how the hell we're going to get to the castle by any chance?' Rosalie asked. That was a good point. We still hadn't talked about what we would do once we got to the base of the mountain. _Mel, did Serena see how we would enter the castle?_ I asked. It was quiet for a second and I used that time to lose myself in her emotions. I had missed this feeling so much over the past week.

_She sees some trouble with that but I've already found a solution. Tell Zackary that you guys have to come to the north side of the castle. I'll be there to help you get up. According to Serena only Rosalie and you came, right?_ She asked. _Yes, Rosalie insisted on coming along to rescue you._ I told her. _You don't mind that as I can feel your amusement, Jasper._ Melody giggled. She remained quiet after that and I took that time to tell Zackary about going to the north side. 'She must be in the north garden.' Zackary mused. 'It's the garden that only the ones from the Royal family can use.' He explained as both Rosalie and I gave him a questioning look.

We ran to the mountain in silence after this. Zackary lead us to the north side of the mountain and told us to wait before flying up at full speed. 'Well, it was nice of him to tell us what he's going to do up there.' Rosalie drawled. I just shrugged and sat down. _Mel, your brother is on his way up._ I told Melody. _I know. He's already arrived._ Was the only reply I got. She remained silent after this and after a while Rosalie sat down next to me. Impatience was rolling off her in waves and I had to agree that Zackary was just taking too long.

_Jasper, sorry to keep you guys waiting. Zackary had some issues to work through with Serena…_ Melody trailed off here and I chuckled softly. _I'm ready to help you guys up so stand up and stay still. I've never moved something at such a great distance so tell Rose to have a bit of patience if it takes long._ I told Rosalie this and she scowled at the sky as if hoping Melody would see it. I tried to hold in my laughter as we slowly started to rise into the air. The speed increased as we went higher and before Rosalie had time to say anything we were up to the wall and hovering in front of a smiling Melody. I wanted to jump at her and hold her tight but as we were still held in Melody's grip I could only smile at her and send her my love.

Melody quickly lowered us into the garden behind a bunch of bushes and trees and the moment she released me I did what I had been thinking of before. I hugged her tight and vowed to myself that I would never let her go again. _I love you too. _Melody whispered only to me in response to my feelings. Zackary cleared his throat then and I couldn't help but growl at him. He had a really bad habit of making annoying sounds when I could really do without them. 'Look, I know you guys missed each other bu―' At that moment a girl with platinum blond hair hit him in his stomach. 'Don't worry; you have a few minutes before we have to move on.' She said with a smile.

While Zackary was growling a long stream of unintelligible swear words I looked back at the girl in my arms. She was only feeling happiness and love at the moment and I mirrored those feelings. I softly pressed my lips to hers and for once we both felt no need to deepen it. We were both just revelling in the moment and basking in the love of the other. It had only been a week but it had been the longest week in my existence. _I'll never leave you again._ I vowed to her when I pulled back. _Don't worry; I'll never leave you again, ever._ Melody promised me in return. _I like your look by the way. The brown in your hair looks great and… natural somehow._ Melody ran her fingers through my hair and a beautiful smile graced her face.

'I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have to go now… sorry.' The blond girl, who I was sure was Serena, said. 'Lead the way.' I told her. I let go of Melody but kept her hand as we walked at a normal pace to the exit of the garden without talking too much. When we were almost there Zackary spoke up. 'Why don't we just jump down and get the hell out of here? Why drag us all up here and take a walk through the castle with the chance of getting caught as the Master probably knows we're here right now.' He asked sceptically. 'Well, since you asked so nicely I'll give you an answer dear brother. I vowed that I would take Damian with me once I learned how to get out of here. You guys coming here kind of sped up the whole "getting out of here" thing but that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to take Damian with me.' Melody explained and I felt an unexpected pang of jealousy towards this Damian guy.

Melody sensed this and squeezed my hand reassuringly. _You'll understand why I feel so strongly about this when you see Damian. Don't worry; he won't ever be your competition. I'll never want anyone else._ I could feel her love and sincerity. _I know, but don't expect me to not be jealous when other guys are involved._ I told her honestly. Melody's amusement increased at this which made me roll my eyes but I smiled at her nonetheless. 'You're going to risk us all just to save Damian?' Zackary asked incredulously. 'Yes, haven't you ever seen how his life is?' Melody asked in shock. 'No, there was never any need for me to go visit him in his little tower. He never bothered to come down so why should I be bothered to visit him? Apparently playing with his power is more important than socialising.' Zackary shrugged. 'Well, it's time you meet him and see for yourself just what he is doing in his _little tower_ as you put it.' Melody spat through gritted teeth.

Serena led our little party through some secret passageways that even Zackary didn't know about, which annoyed him a lot. It took us five minutes to get to Damian's tower and Melody used her power to unlock the door. 'Jasper and I are going up. The rest of you stay here and keep guard until we come back.' Melody all but ordered as she was still angry with Zackary's earlier remark. 'I can't see anything bad happening even though I can't see us properly because of Rosalie.' Serena said with an apologetic smile to Rosalie. 'Only me? Why not Jasper too?' Rosalie asked a bit offended. 'I don't know why but ever since you guys came into the north garden I've been able to see Jasper as clearly as I can see Zackary, Melody and myself.' Serena explained a bit hesitant. 'We'll talk about that later though. You guys only have five minutes to do this as others will come to this place to see why the doors are unlocked.' Serena said as her eyes grew distant again.

Without another word we ran up the stairs and were met by another closed door at the top. Melody started to raise her hand to use her power but I stopped her. 'Maybe we should knock? This is Damian's room after all.' I said hesitantly. 'No, he can't open the door.' Melody just said as she moved on to open the door. We climbed the small staircase that was behind the door to emerge in a round chamber with glass walls all around and one man, Damian, sitting in the middle. The room was no wider than three meters and the only furniture were a few pillows that were on the floor. I could understand why Melody wanted to safe Damian. This wasn't a liveable situation for anyone.

Melody took my hand and started walking around Damian so that we would be standing right in front of him. He had his eyes closed and a crease in his forehead. His hair was jet black and made into small spikes, but the points of the spikes had a silver white colour. The wings on his back had the same colours. They were jet black but the tips were all silver white. Melody crouched down in front of Damian and softly touched his cheek with the back of her hand. 'Damian… open your eyes Damian.' She whispered. He flinched slightly at her voice and touch but opened his eyes nonetheless. 'Who are you?' he asked hoarsely, his violet eyes looking at Melody as if she was a figment of his imagination.

'I'm Melody and this is my mate Jasper. We have come to take you away from this prison.' Melody explained. 'Take me… away?' Damian asked. Confusion was coming from him in waves as he looked from Melody to me and back again. 'Yes, away from this room and away from the Master, but we have to hurry before anyone catches us.' Melody said. 'This room… but… my job… I have to control the weather… the clouds.' Damian muttered and his eyes shot to the skies which were starting to get cloudier by the minute now that he wasn't focussing anymore. 'You are relieved from your duties to the Master.' Said a voice from behind Damian and I looked up to see Zackary standing at the top of the stairs. 'But… only the Master can do that.' Damian muttered. 'Well, I'm the Master's niece and I tell you that it's okay to come with us.' Melody said firmly.

Damian's eyes grew wide and a single tear rolled down his cheek. 'I can leave… I can leave! Thank you my lady.' He cried happily. 'We have to move, now. You guys stayed up here too long so we have to make our escape through the opening in this room.' Serena said from behind Zackary. I could see Rosalie standing behind her and all three of them were emitting worry and were glancing backwards every few seconds.

Serena pushed passed Zackary and went to stand in the opening in the glass walls. 'Rosalie, come. I'll take you with me.' Serena said. Rosalie nodded and pushed passed Zackary as well. Serena grabbed my sister around her waist and launched herself out of the room. Zackary came next and Damian went after him. The latter was still overly happy about what had happened to him and it started to affect me and through me, Melody. We grinned at each other as if Christmas had come early as Melody held on to me and launched out of the tower after the others.

We flew back to the north garden and I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something important. It was like a nagging feeling in the back of my head, which had been increasing since we got to this land, telling me to remember something that I had obviously forgotten. Melody gave me a worried look but remained quiet for which I was grateful as I couldn't really tell her what was bothering me at the moment as I didn't know it yet either. I didn't even notice it when Melody landed until she let go of me and walked over to Rosalie. I shook my head and watched as Rosalie and Melody hugged for the first time since we arrived here. They didn't have any time for this and I could feel their mutual happiness at seeing the other again. We had been in danger before now but as we only had to fly away from this place and teleport back home we had a bit of time for the reunion of the best friends.

'I missed you, Mel. I'm glad we found you.' Rosalie said in a rush and I knew she had wanted to say this from the beginning. 'I missed you too, Rose.' Melody said. They grinned at each other for a second before Zackary cleared his throat to get the attention from all of us. Melody rolled her eyes at her brother but gave him a warm smile nonetheless. 'Missed you too, Zack.' She said as she came to stand next to me again. 'Yeah, I missed you too, sis, but we have to get out of here.' Zackary said with a smirk. 'Can't we just teleport from here?' Damian asked. He was still smiling happily about being freed from his tower and the fact that we were far from safe wasn't something that he was thinking about right now. 'We have to get out of the castle first. If we teleport here the Master could use our teleport power against us and bring us to him.' Serena explained.

Damian seemed to understand this and a bit of tension about the situation we were in slipped into his emotions. Serena's eyes grew distant again as she checked the immediate future but her emotions told me nothing bad was going to happen. Then her emotions changed abruptly and she snapped out of her vision immediately. 'We have to leave _now_.' She said, emphasising the "now". Melody felt Serena's urgency through me and she quickly grabbed me around my waist. Zackary wasted no time at all as he grabbed onto Rosalie and launched into the air and over the wall. Serena motioned to Damian to follow her which he did without question and Melody launched us after them.

As we flew down at a speed which would alarm humans greatly I had the same nagging feeling as before. The feeling that I should remember something, but being unable to do so. It wasn't until I heard a gasp coming from below me that I snapped out of my musing again. 'No!' Serena cried. She spun around midair and looked up in horror. We turned around less than a second later only to see an angry phoenix diving right towards us at full speed. The phoenix had jet black hair and, if possible, even darker wings. Anger and determination were coming from him and Melody mirrored those emotions together with fear. 'Don't worry my dear niece. I won't hurt you. I can't say that about the others though.' The phoenix called down menacingly.

'Sorry to disappoint you _Master_ but as I told you before, I don't plan on staying here long.' Melody spat back. The Master only grinned and struck out his hand and before I knew it I was falling down. 'Jasper!' Melody shrieked as she hung immobile in the air. The Master stopped beside her and grinned down at me mockingly. I watched in horror as the Master grabbed Melody and beat his wings down once, causing them to sore upwards at an incredible speed. 'Damian, grab Jasper!' Zackary called but I wasn't paying attention.

With each beat of the Master's wings he and Melody flew further away from me and the nagging feeling in my head increased. I didn't want to pay attention to it but somehow I couldn't help it. I was remembering things, important things. I remembered my parents, my youth and the stories my mother used to tell me. I closed my eyes as I remembered the most important thing, the reason why flying with Melody seemed so natural to me. My eyes snapped open and as I looked up I saw that the Master had slowed down. As I focussed myself further I noticed that everyone was shocked and that the Master had stopped his accent by now.

All of this had happened in less than five seconds and on instinct I stopped my decent and hovered in the air. I could now feel the wings that Zackary had given me with his power and I could move them as well. They were part of me and it surprised me that it was feeling completely natural for me. I dismissed this thought the moment it entered my mind and instead focussed on the shocked Master who was still holding my mate in his hands. 'You're dead.' I hissed and launched myself at the Master at full speed while sending him the greatest dose of fear I could muster. The Master cringed at the sudden emotions at the same time as I collided with him. He flew further upwards but this time I was the one holding a shaking Melody in my arms.

The Master came to a stop about fifty feet above me and glared down. 'It's you!' He seethed. I held Melody tighter to me and send him another dose of fear. 'Jasper, let's get out of here!' Rosalie called from below me which snapped me back to reality. As much as I wanted to fight this Master we had to get to safety first. With one last glance at the Master I dove down towards the rest with Melody and we all landed at about the same time.

'What the…' Rosalie began but trailed of as the confusion she was feeling increased dramatically. 'We have no time for this now. We have to get out of here.' Zackary said. 'Well, see you on the other side.' Serena winked and she and a very confused Rosalie disappeared in a very light blue fire. Damian was the next to leave in a violet fire which left just Zackary, Melody and I. Melody had recovered from what had happened but was still feeling confused and shocked as she looked at me with awe in her eyes.

Zackary held out his hand to help us transport but I shook my head. 'I think I remember what my mother used to tell me about it. I'm not sure why… but my memories from before I was changed into a vampire came back to me' I tried to explain to Zackary. He just shrugged and motioned for me to hurry up as his initial shock was replaced by his usual smug self. I took one last, quick glace upwards to see the Master had recovered from my attack and was coming towards us again at an alarming speed with rage rolling off him in waves. I winked at Zackary before summoning the power I needed. A bright blue and white fire erupted around Melody and I and a second later the castle, the Master and everything was replaced by a white house and my very worried and shocked family.

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**Review please ^_^**

**And don't worry, this wasn't the end of the Master as he would never ****give up so easily ;)**

**~Marieke~**


	37. Jasper's past

**Jasper, Rosalie and Zackary POV**

**Enjoy ^_^**

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**Jasper POV**

It took everyone a moment to snap out of their shock before they erupted in cries of our names. I held onto Melody as both Carlisle and Esme ran up to hug their daughter and me. 'Melody, we were so worried about you.' Esme sobbed as she stroked Melody's hair lovingly. 'I'm sorry, mom. I never meant to worry you.' 'We know you didn't and this wasn't your fault, honey.' Carlisle told her. Melody nodded and leaned into my side as her exhaustion of the day's event caught up with her. 'We'll explain everything later, but I think our phoenix friends might want to rest first.' I said with a smile to the others. Serena and Damian nodded and even though Zackary rolled his eyes he still yawned which made Alice giggle.

We all walked inside, Serena and Damian a bit reluctantly, and I led the way upstairs. As none of us were going to use the beds we let Damian use Esme's and Carlisle's room and Serena would sleep in Rosalie's and Emmett's room. 'Zack, can you turn us back to normal before you go to sleep?' Rosalie asked as she closed the door of her bedroom behind Serena. 'Oh, right.' Zackary concentrated for a second and Rosalie started changing before our eyes. Her hair became the bright blond it had been before, her eyes regained their golden colour and her wings disappeared. 'Ah, I kind of liked the wings on you, babe. They made you look even sexier than you already are.' Emmett pouted. 'I'll show you something sexy if you can keep up with me.' Rosalie purred and she sped off down the stairs and out of the house. Emmett didn't waste any time and raced after her, his lust increasing with every step he took.

My attention was redirected to Zackary though when a wave of confusion came from him. He opened his eyes and looked at me as if he had only just noticed I was there. 'I really can't change you back.' He said. 'Then again… you could fly earlier… you'll have to explain this to me later, bro.' He said. I knew this was going to happen as my change couldn't be reversed anymore. This form was here to stay. 'I will, but first you guys need to get so-o-ome sleep.' I tried to stifle the yawn that had escaped my lips but failed at it entirely. It wasn't until a moment later that I realised what I had done. I had yawned! Something I hadn't done for over a hundred and fifty years. Melody's giggles snapped me out of my thoughts. 'You're really shocked, aren't you?' she giggled. 'Yeah… I guess so. It's just that I haven't yawned in so long that it kind of caught me by surprise.'

I wasn't the only surprised one. Every vampire in the house was emitting shock as vampires aren't supposed to get tired or be able to sleep. 'Well, I guess you'll need some sleep too before you're able to explain anything.' Zackary smirked. 'Come on, let's get some sleep.' Melody said with a quick glare at her brother. When I didn't move she started pulling me towards our room. This made Alice giggle, but I didn't care. I was going to sleep. For the first time in over a hundred years I was actually going to rest. 'I promise to explain about my change later.' I told my family. I first had to figure out what had happened myself. I had my memories back, but it was all so strange and jumbled up that I just needed some time to sort it all out.

Melody closed the door behind us, released me and ran to the bathroom. I could soon hear the sound of the shower. That was one of the things that hadn't changed. I could still hear and see as well as I could before and I was sure my strength was the same as well. The stories that my mother used to tell me still hung in my mind, but the one thing I needed right now wasn't one of them. I sat down on the bed in concentrated on my wings, but nothing happened. I let out a frustrated sigh and fell back onto the bed. At the last moment I remembered the wings and twisted so that I landed on my side. This would take some time to get used to, that was for sure.

When Melody came out of the bathroom I gave her a quick kiss and went to take a shower myself. It felt strange that the water felt different on my now humanlike skin and the fact that my wings divided the water differently as well. I didn't shower for long, just to wash my hair and get a clean feeling. I quickly put on some pyjama pants and looked in the mirror to get a good look of how I now looked. I had changed slightly from when Zackary had given me my appearance. My wings were a bit more honey colour than actual light brown and my eyes now had a slim white ring around the bright blue.

_Are you okay? You're feeling… confused._ Melody asked. _I'm fine... I just need to get used to the change._ I told her. I took one last look in the mirror before going back into the bedroom. Melody was sitting on the bed and patted the space next to her. As I sat down she wrapped her arms around my waist and lay her head on my shoulder. 'You'll get used to it before you know it.' 'I know, but right now it's a lot to just take in.' I sighed. 'Well, you'll feel better after you sleep.' Melody giggled. I chuckled at the thought of sleeping and once again had to stifle a yawn. 'Come on.' Melody pulled me back and I went with her willingly.

Normally I would just lie on top of the sheets when Melody would sleep. If it was too warm for her to sleep I would help her by lying under the sheets and holding her. Now I was lying under the sheets as well but this time it was to sleep myself. Melody snuggled against me and lay her head on my chest. 'You feel warm.' She sighed. 'You like this better than the cold skin?' I asked her. She propped herself up on her elbows and shook her head. 'No, this just feels… I don't know… more natural? It has a natural feeling now.' She tried to explain but I could tell by her emotions that she wasn't quite able to explain what she meant. 'Don't worry, sweetheart. I know what you mean. Empath, remember.' I told her with a grin.

Melody lay back down and I pulled her even closer. 'You know what the best thing is about this whole transformation is?' 'No, what?' 'No more bloodlust. No more burning throat and no more struggling to keep myself from draining anyone.' I sighed in contentment. We were quiet after that and Melody's breathing soon became a bit slower which told me she was asleep. I kissed the top of her head, closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

**Rosalie POV**

Normally being away from Emmett for a few hours wasn't a problem, but this time was different. We had both known that getting Melody back would be dangerous and because of this we had been scared that we might never see each other again. When I was changed back to my normal self I raced outside with Emmett on my heels and… well… let's just say parts of the forest were redecorated by us in the next couple of hours.

'What happened after you guys flamed out?' Emmett asked as we were lying on the forest floor together. 'I'd love to tell you that, baby, but I think it's easier to just tell everyone at once when the others are awake again.' Emmett let out a fake sigh and held me a bit tighter. 'I guess that would be soon as the sun is already rising.' I opened my eyes and saw that Emmett was right. The sky was getting lighter and lighter which would mean the others would be awake soon. The moment I thought of this my phone went off. I jumped up and ran to my clothes and looked at who was calling. 'Hey, Carlisle.' I said as I flipped the phone open. 'Rosalie, can you can Emmett come back home? The others have woken up just now and we would like to hear what happened to all of you.' Carlisle said. 'Sure, no problem. We'll be there in a few minutes.'

I snapped the phone shut and gave it to Emmett who put it in the pocket of the jeans he had just put on. We both quickly finished dressing and raced back to the house. Emmett had the lead for quite some time but I knew how to distract him enough so that I could win. 'Emmett.' I purred seductively. Emmett stopped in his tracks and he slowly turned around. His eyes were already turning black with lust and I knew I had won. I grinned at him as I sped past him and jumped over the river. Emmett's playful growl followed me all the way to the house and as my foot landed in the living room he tackled me. We tumbled to the ground and only stopped getting the upper hand when Esme growled from the kitchen that we'd better stop now or face severe punishment.

Emmett quickly jumped to his feet and went to sit on one of the couches. I quickly followed him and noticed for the first time that we were the only ones in the living room. 'Where are the others?' I asked quietly as I knew that everyone in the house would hear me. 'They are still upstairs at the moment, but should be down in a minute or so. Edward will be a bit later as he's at Bella's house, but they should both be here shortly.' Esme explained as she and Carlisle came from the kitchen and sat down on the other couch. 'So we had to race home for this and they aren't even ready yet?' I scoffed. 'Don't worry, we're ready.' Serena said as she jumped down the stairs and landed gracefully on her feet without making a sound. Damian, Anna and Riley soon followed her and a few seconds later Zackary and Alice walked in from the backyard.

I was about to ask where Melody and Jasper were when I heard their bedroom door close. 'Sorry to keep you waiting, Rose.' Jasper chuckled and I cursed under my breath as he must have felt my impatience. I turned around and gave him an annoyed look which he returned with a smirk. My look changed to a more normal one within a second though. It was still strange to see my brother without his pale complexion and golden eyes. I had to admit that his blue eyes suited him better but it was still something I would have to get used to. 'You're eyes still look weird, dude.' Emmett boomed then and I quickly hit my face in a pillow so that I wouldn't laugh out loud at Emmett's bluntness. 'You'd better get used to them, Emmett, as they are here to stay.' Jasper said with a hint of humour in his voice.

I felt the couch sink a bit and lifted my head to see Jasper sit next to me with Melody on his lap. 'What took you guys so long to get down anyway?' Zackary drawled from his spot on the floor. 'I wanted to put my wings away, but had no idea how. Melody helped me with that but it took a bit longer than I would have thought.' Jasper explained and a soft blush appeared on his cheeks. 'Yes!' I whispered. Jasper gave me a questioning look and this time I would gladly answer it. 'Well, now that you're not a vampire anymore and once again have blood flowing through your veins you can also blush. We'll finally be able to read at least a few of your emotions as well.' I explained. This made both Serena and Melody giggle and Jasper's face turned even redder than before.

'Well, let's get this meeting started.' Emmett boomed. I rolled my eyes at my husband and smacked in on the head. 'Ow, Rosie.' He whimpered while rubbing his head. 'We can't start until Eddie-boy and Bella are here.' I told him. It's not that I liked having to wait for my least favourite brother and his pet, but there wasn't much I could to about it. The sound of the oven alarm sounded then and Esme jumped up and raced to the kitchen. As sitting around and waiting wasn't something I normally enjoyed I followed my surrogate mother and helped her pile food on the six plates that Esme had put out. I was a bit startled by the amount of plates. A few days ago we only had two food eating residents and one human leech and now we had three more.

When the plates were done Esme and I both carried three into the living room. Zackary just nodded his head in thanks, Melody, who was now sitting on the floor, gave me a smile and a thank you and then came the weird part. I, a vampire, was going to give food to my brother who, up until yesterday, had been a vampire himself and thus hadn't needed food. Jasper's face turned red again as he felt my emotions and I quickly gave him an encouraging smile. When this didn't work I sat down next to him. 'I just have to get used to the idea of you not being a vampire anymore.' I told him earnestly. 'You and me both.' He sighed as he looked at the food and looked at it sceptically. For over a hundred years only the thought of human food had been disgusting to my brother and now he had to eat it.

Melody seemed to notice as well and gave him an encouraging smile. They remained quiet after that and just stared lovingly at each other which told me they were having one of their private conversations. I missed that a bit and I hoped Melody would open our link again sometime, just for the fun of it.

While the others ate we all just sat in silence until I heard the sound of Eddie-boy's car approaching. 'Keep your thoughts blocked.' I told the others quickly. Carlisle gave me a questioning look so I quickly explained why. 'If Edward hears everything that has happened before we actually tell it, he'll start asking questions the moment he gets into the house. He should just hear the story at the same time as everyone else.' 'I guess you do have a point there.' Carlisle mused, but didn't say anything more as the car came closer and closer.

'You're all too quiet for comfort.' We all heard Eddie-boy whisper. I was sure Bella hadn't heard what he had said though as she was smiling nervously as she always did when coming here. 'I see some things have changed.' Edward stated as he took in both Serena and Damien before focussing on a now eating Jasper. My brother quickly swallowed and gave Edward a sheepish smile, 'You could say that, yeah.' As Edward kept staring at Jasper, Bella quickly, for a human, ran to Alice's side and sat down. Esme offered her a plate of food which she took with a small "thanks" before starting to eat quietly. I had to hand it to the girl; she didn't seem scared at all to be in a house with vampires. It was really all Eddie's fault that Bella's life would end. If he had just left her alone she would have been able to live a normal life. I cursed Eddie in my head which he heard, but he couldn't say or do anything because lucky for him, Carlisle cleared his throat to get our attention.

**Zackary POV**

Family meetings… we have had a lot of those the past few weeks. Was the life of a vampire family always like this? I sure hoped not, otherwise I would be annoyed a lot from now on. I wasn't really one for long family meetings in which someone told someone else about something that had happened. Why couldn't it just be said quickly to one person and that person could tell the rest. I mean, we're all creatures with an amazing memory so the chance of the story becoming twisted is close to zero. It would be so much easier that way. The same goes for decision making. Shouldn't the head of the family make the decisions? Why did everyone have to give their opinions on everything?

While I was thinking about all of this Melody had already started to tell us all about what had happened after she was transported from the newborn battlefield. She was now telling everyone about her meeting with the Master and I couldn't help but smirk. The Master and his annoying way of trying to make everyone like him. I never expected Melody to fall for it, but it was still nice to hear her confirm this.

When Melody finally finished her story Jasper started to tell ours. About how I trained my power and how we went to get Melody back. I had lived that story so I tuned out Jasper the best I could and focussed instead on Damian and Serena. They both seemed at ease and relaxed here and Serena looked happier than I had ever seen her. I didn't know Damian that well as I had never gone to visit him, but if Melody told us about him is true then he must be glad to be away from there.

Alice poked me then and motioned for me to listen to what was being said. I sighed and rolled my eyes at her, but did as she asked. 'You became a phoenix when the Master caught Melody, right? But… how?' Carlisle, who usually had an answer for almost everything, asked. 'From the moment we arrived in that village I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head. It felt like something I should have remembered but what I just couldn't. It kept growing stronger and stronger the longer we were there and the moment I fell down when the Master caught Melody everything just flooded back into my mind.' Jasper explained.

'My mother used to tell me stories about powerful being with wings who used to protect the earth and the humans, but that they weren't doing that anymore. She told me that the leader was corrupt and was only thinking about his own wellbeing and that the others didn't dare go up against him. She also told me to keep these stories a secret for my father as he didn't know about any of this. As the years went by my mother kept telling me the stories, but I believed them less and less. I had never seen even one of the winged creatures that my mother described to me. I told her that one day and she became very sad. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, but before I could do that she grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her. We went into a forest where humans normally didn't come and I remember getting a little scared. When my mother finally stopped I thought she had lost her mind, but I didn't get time to think about his for a second later two huge wings spread out of my mother's back. She told me to look at her and say one more time that I didn't believe her stories.

'After that I never doubted her again as she told me the stories. She told me that I had phoenix blood flowing through my veins as well but that only an extremely emotional situation could activate them. She told me about the special things phoenixes could do and about how she had a healing touch. She could heal everything with the touch of her hand. She also explained why my father couldn't know about any of this. You see, my father was a mere human and knowing about my mother and me could be dangerous for the both of us. I began wondering about my sisters at which my mother grew sad. Apparently both my little sisters had a different mother.

'The day I joined the army was a sad day for my mother. She made me promise to write to her everyday and that I would come home safely afterwards. I promised her but in the end I hadn't been able to keep that promise. I was changed, forgot almost all of my human memories and ended up in a brutal war. I don't know why my phoenix powers didn't awaken when I was changed. Maybe because my body didn't register fear until it was too late or maybe because I'm only half phoenix. I guess I'll never find out.' Jasper sighed.

'I guess it's true that a phoenix regains even his earliest memories when he transforms.' Carlisle mused. 'What about your mother, though? She should still be alive, right?' Bella said a bit unsure. 'I guess so. I never went back to look for her after I became a vampire. The only thing I remembered of my human life up until now was the fact that my mother was a gentle and warm woman.' I could hear the regret in Jasper's voice as he spoke about his mother. I kind of knew how he felt as I didn't have a mother or father anymore either. At least I had my sister back now which helped a lot and I guessed it was the same for Jasper and the family he now had.

I was about to voice this when the seer decided to interrupt me. 'You're the halva.' she stated in shock. This made me forget what I was thinking before and instead I looked at the seer as if she had lost her mind. 'The halva?' I asked with a hint of humour in my voice that I just couldn't conceal. Serena rolled her eyes at me, 'That's what my mother called the half phoenix, half human she had a vision of before she died.' 'You're mother had a vision of me?' Jasper asked in shock. 'Yes, she had a vision of a half human, half phoenix coming one day. This person would start a rebellion against the tyranny that the Master would one day bring. I didn't want to trust her vision as the Master was kind and gentle back in those days. My mother made me promise not to tell anyone about this on the day that she died. I promised her this and haven't thought about it at all for the past two hundred years or so.

'The change in the Master has been very gradually so no one really noticed I guess. I only started to notice it when Melody showed up. She told me all these stories about how her life was with all of you. About how she was free and happy with her family. How she didn't have to watch her every step or wing beat all the time, though she did mention that studying sucks.' I glanced at Melody to see her face turn tomato red in less than a second. 'Studying sucks?' I asked with a grin. If possible Melody's face turned even redder. Emmett laughed at this and to my surprise Damian followed. He had loosened up a great deal since yesterday and it seemed that he was really enjoying himself right now.

Carlisle cleared his throat then and we all turned towards him. 'We need to know more about this vision and about what happened to Jasper's mother. If what Serena says is true then Jasper will lead a rebellion against one of the most powerful creatures alive.' 'We still don't know when this will all happen though.' Anna piped in. She had a point there; we didn't know whether we had a few days, weeks or maybe even years. That, for one, was certainly something that would be nice to know. Too bad that what you wish for sometimes comes true too soon as both Alice and Serena gasped at the same time. I quickly used my link with Alice to see what she was seeing.

_We were all standing on a large clearing which I recognised as the same clearing as we had fought the newborns not so long ago. There were lots of people with us this time of various races. There were phoenixes, vampires and shape-shifters all standing together. We were divided in circles and each circle contained at least on phoenix. Someone counted down from three to one and with that, we all teleported out. _

_The vision changed then to reveal a new setting. We were all standing on the plain near the castle and the Master was standing opposite us with his own army of followers. Words were being exchanged, but nothing was gained by this. Jasper turned towards all of us and gave a speech before turning back around and leading the assault. _

_The vision changed again and this time I saw Jasper sitting on the Master's thrown with Melody at his side. They were both smiling at Alice and I who were standing next to them. We all seemed happy and relieved and I assumed that we had won the battle. The rest of the family was standing in front of us and they were all clapping._

_Then the vision changed for a final time. We were back on the battlefield, but we were all lying on the ground. I was sitting on one knee, holding Alice her necklace in my hand while tear s were streaming down my face. Bodies were scattered everywhere, some I recognised, some I didn't. I looked around and saw the Master standing a few feet away. He was holding Melody up by her throat while he stood on the lifeless body of Jasper with one foot. Melody twitched in his grasp, but couldn't break free. To my horror I saw that Melody's wings were ripped to shreds. 'Goodbye, my niece.' The Master sneered as he held up his hand and struck down._

Before the hand could hit Melody, Alice pulled out of her vision with a loud gasp. Her gasp was mirrored by Serena and myself and I looked around to see the rest of the family looking at us with worry clear in their eyes. I knew that they wanted to know what we had seen, but I didn't care. My eyes found Melody's and I let out a sigh in relief. The vision had seemed so real that I was afraid my sister wouldn't be there when I got out of it. I quickly walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. 'What did you see?' Melody whispered as she hugged me back. I let go of her and turned to Alice who had come to stand next to me again. She took a deep breath, grabbed my hand for support and told the family what she had seen. Serena helped her with a few details, but the message was clear. The battle was coming and soon.

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**Let me know what you think ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	38. Recruiting allies

**I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been so busy with the final weeks of my internship and the report I had to write for this that I didn't have any time left to write :(**

**Hope you'll enjoy this chapter :)**

**Jasper, Emmett and Zackary POV.**

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**Jasper POV**

The last couple of days all past fairly quickly. After Alice and Serena had explained what they had seen in their visions everyone had reacted shocked. We had counted on the Master wanting revenge, but not like this. Especially the last part of the vision was what scared everyone the most. We had no idea what to do to prevent that future from coming true. Alice and Serena had started searching the future together after this and we all hoped they would find the decision that would tip the balance in our favour. Until then all we could to was gather information and hope that the combined visions of Alice and Serena would show us something new. The only thing we knew for sure now was that the vision was of somewhere in high summer which meant we still had a couple of months to prepare.

The first thing we had to do was get in contact with our friends and extended family. Carlisle had called the Denali's only minutes after Alice had told us all about the vision. After that we all went different ways to find allies. Damian, Zackary and Alice towards Egypt to look for a friendly coven there. Damian would come in handy there as he could manipulate the clouds when the sun was out too much. Rosalie and Emmett went to South America to look for the Amazon coven and Carlisle and Esme went to look for nomads who were our friends. Edward stayed home with Serena to wait for the Denali's. On the one hand he really hated this, but on the other hand he was glad he could stay close to Bella.

Melody and I went to look for Peter and Charlotte. They never carried a cell phone as Peter didn't like it when people could contact him at every hour of the day. We had first flown to the last place I had heard they were at, but they weren't there anymore. Their scent lingered though so we decided to follow it on foot and see where it would lead us. 'The ocean.' Melody sighed as the trail came to an end. 'Damn that Peter and his hate for cell phones.' I growled in frustration. 'I don't think we'll have much trouble finding them though.' I looked at Melody questioningly until I noticed the pile of clothing that was lying behind the tree she was pointing at. 'Well, let's go for a swim then.' I said with a grin.

We didn't bother with taking our clothes off and just dived into the ocean immediately. This was a whole new experience for me as well, now that I wasn't ice cold anymore. I could now feel the different temperatures as we swam further down though I wasn't cold because of it. I told this to Melody and she gave me a smile. _That's because the fire within keeps you warm. _Melody said. _Serena told me about it when I was at the castle. _Another nice thing about being human like again was that the creatures who lived in the sea didn't swim away from me anymore. Ever since I became a vampire the fish and everything else would swim away the moment I got close, but now they just looked at Melody and me and some even came a bit closer as if they wanted a better look or something.

After thirty minutes we raced to the surface to get some much needed fresh air before diving down again. We were getting close now as there weren't any fish around this area. As soon as we had gone down enough I could feel their emotions. Strong waves of lust came from an ocean cave about twenty feet below us. _Great, I always knew they were into some weird stuff, but this one really takes the cake._ I sighed in frustration. Melody giggled in her head and swam towards the entrance of the cave. _Want to give them a bit of a scare?_ She asked innocently. _What did you have in mind?_

Melody held her hand up in a gesture for me to watch. I nodded and with a grin on her face Melody created a ball of red golden fire in her hand. I wasn't surprised that the fire could burn under water. I remembered that my mother used to tell me that our fire burned everywhere as long as the fire inside us was there. _You make one too. Then we can send them into the cave and when they see it you should send them some fear. I'm sure they'll stop what they're doing in a second flat._ I nodded my agreement and quickly conjured up my own bright blue and white fireball. We released both of them and used our control of them to send them into the cave. A few seconds went by before the lust became less and the curiosity increased. That was my cue and I quickly send them a small dose of fear. This had the desired effect of a lot of bubbles coming from the cave and less than a second later both of my friends came swimming out of the cave at full speed.

I pulled my fire back and held it in my hand while launching after my friends. I could feel the warmth from Melody's fire behind me which told me she had done the same thing. As Peter and Charlotte's fear decreased again they slowed down a bit and as I send them some calm they stopped. Peter turned around quickly and I could feel both anger and happiness from him. The anger quickly changed to shock though as he noticed my appearance. His eyes shot from my eyes, to my wings and to the fire in my hand quickly before he gave me an extremely questioning look. I extinguished my fire and motioned upwards. Peter rolled his eyes, grabbed Charlotte's hand and shot up. Melody extinguished her fire as well and we quickly followed the two vampires.

Melody was faster than me and shot out of the water a fraction sooner than I did. We both spread our wings just above the ocean and I looked down at a baffled Peter. 'Okay, my gift tells me you really are Jasper but… what the fuck, man!' He exclaimed while gesturing his hands towards me like an idiot. 'Let's get back to the shore and I'll explain everything there.' I told him. 'Fine.' Peter grumbled. I grinned at my best friend and quickly plucked him out of the water. Of course he started to protest, but as I had an iron grip on him there wasn't much he could do. Melody lifted Charlotte out of the water a lot more gently than I had been with Peter and we flew back to the cliff where Peter and Charlotte's clothes would be.

They both quickly dressed while Melody and I dried our clothes with our inner fire and sat down. 'One, you could have warned me that you were going to grab me out of the water like a fish. Two, you can be damned glad that we're not embarrassed quickly and three, what the hell happened to you, bro?' Peter asked. 'One, this was more fun for me. Two, flying was the fastest way to get you two back here so I didn't really think whether you might be embarrassed and three, I told you I'd explain so I will.' After this I started to explain all that had happened since the last time I had seen them which was when Melody was about nine years old.

Halfway through my story Charlotte got up and went to sit next to Melody. She stroked Melody's hair for the rest of the story and I was glad that she wasn't angry that we withheld the fact that Melody wasn't human from her. When Peter and Charlotte had come to visit all those years ago, Charlotte and Melody had immediately bonded. Charlotte had been fascinated by the smart, little girl and had done a lot of educational things with her like going to museums and such. Peter had been more of a second Emmett for Melody and she had played games with both of them a lot. Melody had wanted to tell my friends that she wasn't human, but both Carlisle and Esme had put their foot down and refused. It would have been dangerous to let anyone outside of our coven know the truth about her.

'So you're a phoenix now?' Peter asked when I finished my story. 'Yes, though I have been one my whole life. I just didn't know until a few days ago.' I told him with a grin. 'That's amazing… and you're still an empath?' I nodded in response. 'Okay… and you eat human food?' I could feel Peter's curiosity spike when he asked this question. 'Yes and no, it doesn't taste as horrible as I once thought.' I told him. I had to admit though that it had been weird to eat and actually like human food again. I had hated the smell and to sight of the stuff for so long that the first few times I ate I was revolted by the idea before I could even smell the food.

'Being a phoenix suits you, Jasper.' Charlotte commented. 'Thanks, Char.' 'But, I don't think that telling us this was the reason you came here.' She continued. I smiled at her; she was always the more perceptive one. 'No, it's not. We came to ask for your help.' I continued to tell them about the vision both Alice and Serena had a few days ago. 'Of course we'll help, major. Just say the word.' Peter said with a glint in his eyes. 'Everything to protect my little dove.' Charlotte said while smiling lovingly at Melody. 'Major, it seems we're yours to command.' I grinned to my best friend and knew I could count on him in this battle.

**Emmett POV**

Finally we could get away from the airplanes, cities and humans and just run! I felt free and elated after sitting still for so long and whooped as I ran through the dense rain forest. Rosalie followed a little behind me and I knew she thought I was overreacting. She didn't understand what the problem was with sitting still for so long as it was not something vampires really minded. I, however, did mind as I was just build to move.

We ran in silence until Rose started to growl at me to stop so we could get on with our mission. I sighed but stopped and turned around to face my wife. She looked amazing as usual and the surrounding forest gave her a sort of wild look which was irresistible. 'We could just take a break from looking for the Amazon coven and have a little fun.' I purred. Rose her eyes turned dark with lust, but she shook her head. 'We have to find them first, baby. We'll have time for fun after that. I promise.' She added as she saw the pout that had appeared on my face. 'I guess you're right.' I sighed. 'So, where do we start looking?'

Rose shrugged and looked around the forest. 'I think running and keeping our senses open would be the best idea. Carlisle said they would probably be to the south west side of the forest so let's just head there. When we come across a vampire's trail we can follow that and see where it'll lead us.' Rosalie said matter-of-factly. She gave me a quick kiss and darted further into the forest before I could react to anything. Not that I had anything to say, but that's beside the point.

We ran for about an hour before I came across the faint smell of another vampire. I quickly changed course and followed the scent with Rose close behind me. The trail grew stronger the longer we followed it which told me we were on the right path. As night fell we came to a small village. The scent led us into the village and I guessed the vamp had gone in to feed earlier. Rosalie soon found a newer trail leading away from the village again and we started following that one. The trail grew stronger and stronger, but my instinct told me something was wrong. I was about to tell Rose about this when the scenery changed abruptly.

I was no longer standing in a rain forest, but in a vacant parking lot and worse than that, my Rosie was nowhere in sight. 'Rose! Where are you?' I called, but a voice that definitely didn't belong to my Rosie answered. 'You're mate is not your concern right now. Who are you and why are you following us?' I spun around to see where the voice was coming from, but saw no one. 'I'm Emmett Cullen and my mate is Rosalie Hale. We've come here to look for the Amazon coven to ask them a favour.' I said to the bodiless voice. 'Cullen? From Carlisle Cullen's coven?' The voice asked. 'Yes, he's my creator.' The voice stayed quiet after this and before my eyes the parking lot changed back into the rain forest. I quickly located Rosalie and flashed to her side to see if she was alright. Nothing seemed wrong with her but I still kissed her and held her tight for a few seconds.

The clearing of a throat behind me reminded me that we had some company to deal with. I reluctantly let go of Rosalie and turned around to face three tall women. They had an olive skin tone and had bright red eyes which indicated they had just fed. They didn't look hostile for which I was glad. I relaxed my pose a bit and gave them a small smile. 'Why did you come all the way out here?' The woman in the middle asked. 'We've come to ask for your help.' Rosalie answered. The woman nodded and motioned for us to follow them. They raced off towards the south and Rose and I quickly followed them.

We were led to a small house in the middle of the jungle. 'This is our home. Please, enter.' The smallest of the three said. The inside of the house was nothing like any house I had lived in with my family. We always had comfortable chairs and sofas in our house, but this house had nothing more than a few pillows on the floor. They didn't even have a TV! How can anyone survive without a TV? There weren't any other electrical appliances in the room either. No radio, no lights… nothing. 'My name is Zafrina and these are Senna and Kachiri.' The tallest of the three, probably the leader, said. 'As I said before, I'm Emmett Cullen and this is my wife Rosalie Hale.' I told the three vampires. 'Ah, yes. Carlisle once told me about you two. Something about tearing up the house when you got too busy with each other.' Zafrina chuckled. 'Yep, that about sums it up!' I said with a grin.

'Now tell us, why are you here?' Zafrina asked as she sat down on one of the pillows. The other two followed her example so Rosalie and I sat down as well. I started telling them about all the things that had happened over the past couple of weeks. They were all shocked by what Melody actually was and even more shocked when I told them about Jasper's transformation. When I told them about the upcoming battle Zafrina's face grew determined. 'We will help you, Emmett Cullen.' Zafrina said. 'Carlisle is an old friend of ours and he helped us out of some tight spots himself. We will do everything in our power to help.' 'Thank you, that's all we ask for.' Rosalie said. 'We'll have to take care of some things here before we can join you, but I promise you we will be in Forks by the end of this month.' Zafrina promised solemnly.

We thanked the Amazon coven and raced back through the forest. I soon caught the scent of an animal and winked to Rose before following it. It wasn't a scent I knew and soon found out why. The scent came from a crocodile and I couldn't suppress the grin that appeared on my face. This was going to be fun. The crocodile didn't notice me until the last second. It spun around and snapped at me, but I easily dodged. No animal could defeat me and I could see that understanding appear in the Croc's eyes. He retreated slowly while keeping his eyes on mine, but I wasn't having that. I wanted to have some fun after all the seriousness from before. I grabbed the croc by its tail and dragged it back to where we had started. It snapped furiously at me and I could hear ripping noises as the croc's teeth came in contact with my clothes. 'You're no fun at all.' I grumbled as the croc didn't try anything else than snap at me.

I sighed and quickly sank my teeth in its neck. The blood tasted funny and not nearly as good as bear of lion, but definitely better than elk. When I finished I looked around to see my lovely wife sitting on a large rock with a gorgeous smile on her face. 'Like what you see?' I asked a bit cocky. She jumped down and moved towards me in the sexiest way. Her eyes turning darker with every step she took. 'You know I do.' She purred as she came to stand against me. We stared at each other for less than a second before I couldn't take it anymore. I crushed my lips to her and moaned into her mouth. The last coherent thought was that we would have to call home when we were done here.

**Zackary POV**

I know I can complain a lot, especially about the weather, and today was no exception. Where Forks had just been too wet for comfort, Egypt was too dry for comfort. The air was extremely dry which gave a weird taste in my mouth and I could tell that Damian was having the same problem. He was licking his lips every few seconds and looking up at the sky as if hoping it would rain soon. When we first got here Damian had used his power to create a few clouds in the sky and he made sure that one was always blocking the sun so that Alice wouldn't start sparkling. When we had been here for half a day he couldn't take it anymore and decided that some rain would be in order. This had caused Alice to freak out big time. She had scolded him that rain in a desert wasn't at all normal and that he shouldn't do that again. Damian had been scared so badly that he hadn't talked about it again. Instead he would just look up and sigh every few minutes.

'Where exactly are those Egyptian vamps?' I asked as the night began to fall. 'Somewhere around here. Carlisle said they would be somewhere near Cairo, bur far enough away to not be noticed by humans during the day.' Alice chirped happily while she danced ahead of us through the city. 'Is she always like that, master Zackary?' Damian asked too soft for even Alice to hear. 'Yep, happy and energetic.' I smiled at my girl as she scared a couple of people to ask them about any nomads they might know. 'Oh, and you don't have to call me "master". That was the title I had while I was working for my dear uncle which I'm not doing anymore.' Damian nodded and gave me a small smile.

We walked over to where Alice was standing and waited until she was done. 'The woman said that most of the nomads live on the west side of the city. She also said that there is one nomadic band that lives further into the desert than anyone else does.' Alice told us as the man and woman walked way. 'I guess we'll just have to go to the west side then.' I said. I took Alice her hand in mine as we started moving through the crowd. As we walked past everyone they all looked around as if they wanted a better look. I had to admit that we were the best looking people in the entire city, but come on, staring is still rude.

By the time we made it to the west side of town it had already gotten dark and the gates were closed. 'No one can leave when it's dark, sir.' The gatekeeper stated with a straight face that told me not to push it. I grumbled to myself as I walked back to my two companions. 'No one is to leave after dark.' I sighed in frustration. 'Well, let's find some alley and just fly over the wall then.' Damian suggested. 'I guess that's the only thing we can do.' I sighed.

We backtracked for a bit and then walked into the smaller streets and alleys. When we found an alley next to the walls Damian and I both spread our wings. I put my arms around Alice and we launched in to the air and across the wall. 'Let's just keep flying until we find the vamps. It's easier and it's less warm up here than it is down there.' 'That's definitely true, mas… I mean Zackary.' Damian said. 'You guys do know that it's only colder because it's night, right?' Alice stated mockingly. 'And besides, I would love to run for a bit as I've had to walk at an agonizingly slow pace for the entire day already.'

I could understand Alice's frustration about the human pace we have had to walk in all day so I gave her a kiss and dropped her to the ground. She landed gracefully on her feet and smiled up at Damian and I before racing off towards the west. Damian and I followed her in the air, glad to be flying on our own again instead of in an airplane. As we couldn't really pick up any scent from up here we let Alice lead us. _I've picked up the scent of a vampire. This way._ Alice told me. She raced of North West and Damian and I quickly followed.

We soon saw some smoke up ahead and a second later a few tents appeared on the horizon. _Come down for a second, you guys._ Alice said. 'The lady is requesting our presence.' I told Damian with a grin. _I heard that._ I chuckled as we landed next to Alice. 'We can't just go storming in as the leader of the coven, Amun, is very high strung and might attack if we just barge in there.' 'What do you suggest?' Damian asked as he looked at the small smoke plume coming from the nomad tents. 'Well, I guess all we can do is wait here until morning. We can go to them when it's light and of course we'll approach slowly and such.' I suggested. The others nodded and Damian let himself fall down onto the soft sand. 'I guess I'll take a nap then.' He mumbled sleepily.

I guess I had fallen asleep as well because I was woken up by cold lips pressing softly against mine. 'Time to wake up, sleepy head. They just came back.' Alice whispered. I sat up groggily and looked around to see that Damian was already awake and manipulating the air so that we were downwind for the vamps. 'Here, Damian created a small rain cloud before you woke up and caught the water for you guys to drink.' Alice handed me a cup which was filled with water and took a step back. I quickly drank it all and jumped to my feet. 'Are you alright? You're eyes are darker.' I ask Alice. I cupped her cheek and looked into her now dark golden eyes. 'I'm fine; I just need to hunt after this.' She told me.

We walked a bit closer, but Alice made us stop. 'I think you'd better change you and Damian to look like vampires.' Alice whispered. I nodded and concentrated for a bit. The tingling sensation of the change soon spread through me. I concentrated on Damian next and felt my power flow into him. His eyes turned from violet into a soft golden colour and his skin became the same pale colour as Alice her skin. 'That should do it.' Damian and Alice both nodded and the latter led the way to the tents.

Alice was about to clear her throat when a blast of air came towards us. It had come out of nowhere and it took both Alice and me by surprise. Damian however flashed in front of us and pushed the air back with his power. The burst of air he created together with the air that had been send towards us was strong enough to blow away both the nomad tents and reveal four stunned vampires. Damian slowed the airflow down, but kept his guard while I reluctantly let Alice walk towards the group. 'Amun, I'm Alice Cullen. I've come to you and your coven to ask for help.' 'Cullen… are you of Carlisle's coven?' The largest of the group asked in a low grumble. 'Yes, all three of us are. Amun, please hear us out.'

The large guy, Amun, nodded and put his hand on a smaller guy who was standing in front of the other three in a protective stance. 'It's okay Benjamin. Just keep on guard.' Amun muttered just softly. Benjamin nodded and stood up from his crouch though his eyes remained guarded. Alice breathed a sigh in relief and stepped forward a bit more confidently. 'I think introductions might be in order.' She chirped happily and she motioned for Damian and me to come closer as well. 'These are Damian and Zackary.' Alice introduced us. I gave a small nod as she said my name and went to stand closer to her automatically. The woman next to Amun giggled at this and gave Alice and me a knowing look.

'I am Amun, leader of this coven. This is my mate Kebi, 'he motioned to the woman standing next to him, 'and these are Benjamin and his mate Tia.' The tense guy and girl who was standing behind him both nodded. Tia even gave us a small smile, but it disappeared as Amun cleared his throat again. 'Why have you come here, tell us.' He all but ordered. I wanted to protest and tell him that this wasn't the way to speak to others, but Alice put her hand on my arm and shook her head. She took a small breath and started telling the story. The reaction of the four vampires was kind of funny when Alice told them about phoenixes. Their eyes grew big and Tia's mouth fell slightly open. 'That's preposterous. There's no such thing as phoenixes.' Amun scoffed. 'If we show you, then will you believe us?' I asked. Amun just raised his eyebrow at us and I took that as a yes.

I turned to Damian and concentrated for a second and once again felt the tingling feeling of the change. When I opened my eyes I saw Damian's violet eyes looking back at me. 'What the…' I turned around to see Amun looking at us in disbelieve. He quickly recovered though and looked at us in disgust. 'That's a nice power you got there, boy. But you don't fool me. You can change your appearance but that doesn't prove anything about you being a phoenix.' I heard Damian sigh next to me. 'Does this prove it?' He drawled as he let his black with silver tipped wings spread out behind him. He also conjured up a ball of violet fire which he then released and let it circle the vampires.

The shock on their faces stuck this time. Not even Amun was able to recover from it this time. I let my own wings stretch out behind me and flexed them for a bit. It was always a pain to have to hide them especially because I was used to have them out all the time for the past thousand years. I looked as the vampires' eyes followed the fireball. To my surprise Benjamin was the first to recover this time. His eyes followed the fire more determinedly and when it was right in front of him he pushed his hand forward. I braced myself for whatever was going to happen, but to my surprise nothing did. 'What the…' Benjamin muttered. 'I think I know what you're trying to do and I can promise you it isn't going to work.' Damian stated with a grin on his face. 'Damian… what are you talking about?' Alice asked curiously.

Damian turned completely towards us, ignoring the vampires who were being held captive by his flame. 'When the air blast from earlier almost hit us I felt that it wasn't a natural air blast. I figured that someone in the tent might be able to manipulate air. I wasn't sure though so I kept my guard up until that Benjamin guy tried to manipulate my fire. This made me sure that he can't only manipulate air but also fire and maybe even earth and water as well.' Damian turned back to the Egyptians who were watching as if their greatest secret had now been revealed which made me sure that Damian had been right about the element controlling thing.

'Why doesn't my power work on that violet fire?' Benjamin growled. 'Because no one can use a phoenix's power except for the phoenix who created said fire.' I explained quietly. 'Damian, I think they got the point.' Damian nodded and extinguished the fire that was still circling around the vampires. 'Will you help us fight and in doing so safe the vampire race?' Alice asked. 'Yes… we will help. Tell Carlisle we will be coming at the beginning of the next month.' Amun said a little shaky. 'Thank you.' Alice said and I could tell she was relieved.

We said our goodbyes and flew off soon after. Alice called Carlisle as soon as we were in range and told him about what had happened with Amun's coven. He was glad that we had been able to convince them to come and that he and Esme had found all the nomads they had been looking for. 'Can you guys head to Ireland next?' He asked. 'Siobhan's coven?' Alice asked. 'Yes, I already called Siobhan so she's expecting you guys.' Carlisle said. 'Okay, thanks Carlisle.' Alice snapped her phone shut and looked at me. 'What do you say we just fly to Ireland ourselves? Saves us getting cramped up in an airplane.' 'I couldn't agree with you more, honey.' I gave her a quick kiss and turned to Damian. 'You up for it?' 'You bet!' He whooped and shot off with me close behind him.

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**Let me know what you think :)**

**~Marieke~**


	39. The Denali coven and the Volturi

**Here's the next chapter ^_^**

**Bella and Melody POV :) enjoy!**

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**Bella POV**

The others were all gone and we were told to wait for vampires to arrive. Edward had told me that the vampires who were on their way were friendly and that they were like extended family to the Cullens. I was kind of scared though. The coven that was coming consisted of six vampires of which four were female. Two were mated to the two males in the coven, but the other two were single which made me nervous. 'Can I be there when they arrive? I can just say I have a sleepover with Serena and Anna or something.' I asked Edward after he had climbed through my window for the night. 'I don't know when they'll be there. You might have to stay for a while.' Edward answered evasively.

I sat up in bed and turned around so that I could look into his eyes. 'Is that a problem?' I asked a bit harsher than I intended. Edward's eyes grew wide and he quickly shook his head. 'No, but I think that Charlie might have a problem with you staying at my place for a long time. He knows Alice and Melody are away and that even Carlisle and Esme aren't home. That might not sit well with him.' Edward explained. I huffed and crossed my arms across my chest. 'I'm old enough to decide where I sleep myself. Besides, Serena and Anna are still at home so dad shouldn't make a fuss about it.' I knew I sounded like a child now, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to be let out of the loop again. They hadn't told me everything that had happened at the newborn fight and when I heard what had happened to Melody afterwards I had been mad. Melody was my friend and I only found out she was missing five days later.

'Anna is still a newborn, Bella, and so is Riley. It's too dangerous for you to be too much around them.' Edward countered defensively. 'Anna and I are friends and Riley is okay too. Besides, if they were to attack me you would know from their thoughts and I'm sure Serena would come to my rescue as well.' I said smugly. Edward sighed and rolled his eyes which told me I had won this battle. I gave him a chaste kiss and lay back down. He pulled me close and stroked my hair as he started to hum my lullaby.

The next morning I woke up alone. I quickly sat up and looked around the room to find not Edward, but Serena sitting in the rocking chair by the window. 'Good morning, sleepy head. Edward called me this morning to ask if I could be here when you'd wake up. He said he needed to talk with Anna and Riley about something or another.' Serena explained as I gave her a questioning look. 'Oh.' Was the very intelligent answer that I came up with. Serena giggled which made me blush and turn away. 'I need a human moment… I'll be right back.' I told her and quickly made my way to the bathroom. As I closed the door I smacked my forehead. Serena would understand that I'd need a moment in the morning without me telling her. She was human, or at least humanlike, like me and had the same needs as I when it came to morning routine.

I shook my head to clear it a bit and took a quick shower. My hair was a tangled mess after this so it took me a while to straighten it out. I wasn't completely satisfied in the end but I didn't care. This was as good as it was going to get anyway. I walked back to my room and dressed while Serena waited patiently in the chair. 'Edward's going to love that outfit.' Serena commented as I put on a low-cut shirt. I grinned at Serena and twirled in front of her, 'You really think he's going to like it?' I asked. 'I'm sure he will because I saw it.' Serena said with a wink. 'But first you have to eat some breakfast.' Serena got up and moved to my door in the blink of an eye. I blinked a few times and shook my head. 'Stupid super human speed.' I grumbled as I walked past a grinning Serena.

Charlie wasn't home anymore and I found a note telling that he had gone fishing with Billy and Harry. 'We could go there later and ask permission for you to stay over at the Cullen's home.' Serena suggested. 'Yeah, let's do that.' I put the note down and quickly grabbed a bowl, cereals and milk. 'Do you want some?' I asked as I remembered that my guest was able to eat human food. 'No thanks. I already ate back home.' I shrugged and poured cereals and milk into the bowl. As I was eating Serena walked through the house and looked at various things with interest. 'This is a nice picture of you and your dad.' She said. I looked up from my breakfast to see her holding a picture that had been taken a few weeks ago. 'Thanks.' I mumbled. I was never one for showing feelings and Serena seemed to understand that. She didn't ask any questions about the picture and just put it back on the shelf.

I finished my cereals quickly, cleaned my bowl in the sink and grabbed my coat. 'Let's go see my dad now.' I said happily. I couldn't wait to spend the next couple of days at the Cullen house. Serena walked outside first and I locked the door behind me before walking to my truck. 'We're taking your truck to go to La Push?' Serena asked when I was about to open my door. 'Uhm… yes?' I made it sound like a question which wasn't really what I wanted. 'I know a faster way, honey.' Serena said with a smile. 'I guess you do, don't you.' I sighed and stepped away from by beloved truck. Serena put her arms around my waist and held me close as her pure white wings spread out behind her. 'Here we go.' I instinctively tried to get even closer to Serena and yelped as she shot off into the air.

This wasn't the first time we had gone flying, but I wasn't used to the feeling yet. Even though humans wanted to get as close as possible to actually flying themselves it wasn't something that humans were supposed to be able to do. The first time I had flown was with Melody and she had gone too high too fast which made me pass out. She had apologised for at least half an hour before I could convince her that I was fine. The next time we went she went much slower and less high and I was able to kind of enjoy it that time. I was still very glad when I was back with my feet on the ground though. Serena had listened to all the advice Melody could give her about what not to do while taking me flying.

This time we flew high enough for people to not notice us, but low enough so that I wouldn't lose consciousness. The air was cold up here and I was glad I had put on my coat before going outside today. 'Look, there's La Push.' Serena said over the sound of the wind. I looked to where she was pointing and a smile spread across my face. I loved coming to this place when I was young and it was amazing to see it from up in the air. All the small houses were build criss-cross through the town and most of them were close to the woods. The end of the village was at the beach on which I had played for hours on end. Making mud pies had been one of my favourite activities.

Serena landed in a tree and jumped down skilfully while still holding on to me. 'Yo, bird-girl. Haven't seen you before.' A low voice growled from behind us. Serena spun around too quickly for me to follow and pushed me behind her at the same time. 'Wow, no need to get all defensive and such. I won't hurt you.' The very tan, very tall guy chuckled. 'You're one of the wolfs, aren't you?' I asked from behind my winged protector. 'Yep. The name's Paul.' 'I'm Serena and this human here is Bella.' Serena introduced us. 'I already know the little human behind you, but I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you, Serena.' Paul said in a gentleman like voice. 'That is true and I would love to talk some more, but we're in kind of a hurry. We're looking for Bella's father, Charlie Swan. Have you seen him around somewhere?'

Paul scratched the back of his head as if he was thinking really hard, but the grin on his face betrayed him. 'I think he went off fishing earlier today. You could head over to the Black's house and ask Jacob. He should be asleep at the moment as he ran night patrol until the early morning.' Paul finally told us. 'Thanks.' Was all Serena said and she turned around and walked away before Paul could say or do anything more. I followed her quickly, but glanced back one more time to see Paul running off in the opposite direction.

We didn't speak at all as we walked through the forest and Serena didn't even stop when she put her wings away. When we emerged from between the trees I found myself at the back of a vaguely familiar house. It was small with a makeshift garage attached to it and somehow it felt like home. 'This is the Black's house.' Serena told me before I could ask. I once again replied with an intelligent "oh" as I understood why this house was so familiar. I had spent lots of time here during summer holidays when I was still a child.

'Bella!' I spun around too fast and lost my balance because of it. I braced myself to hit the ground, but the impact was different than I had thought. Instead of hitting the hard, cold ground I hit two large and very warm arms. 'Wow, Bella. You okay?' the same voice as before asked. I opened my eyes and was met by two dark, brown orbs which I recognised as Jacob's. 'Yeah… I'm fine.' I mumbled as I tried to get up. Jacob let go of me and took a step back. 'So, why are you guys here?' he asked. 'We're looking for my dad. Have you seen him around?' I asked before Serena could. 'He should still be on the beach. They might get up early, but those old dudes always take their time getting everything ready.' Jacob grinned. 'Follow me.'

We followed Jacob to the beach, during which Serena introduced herself, and found Charlie and Harry loading the fishing boat. Billy was sitting next to them in his wheelchair and waved at us when he saw us approaching. 'Hey kids, what are you guys doing here?' Billy asked. 'Bella and Serena were looking for Charlie.' Jacob shrugged. 'Why are you looking for me, kiddo?' Charlie asked without looking up. 'I was wondering whether I could stay at the Cullen's for a few days...' I trailed off at the end and waited for Charlie to answer my unfinished question. 'Sure, no problem. Serena and Anna will be there right?' Charlie asked. When I didn't answer immediately he finally looked up. 'Uhm, yes… Serena and Anna will be there.' I quickly replied while a blush crept across my cheeks. 'Then it's okay. Just don't forget to do your homework and such.' Charlie mumbled as he went back to packing his fishing gear into the boat. 'Thanks, dad.'

Serena and I walked back to the woods with Jacob and as soon as we were out of sight Serena stretched her wings and we flew off. We made a quick stop at my house so that I could grab some of my stuff and then headed off towards the great white house in the woods. Edward was waiting for us outside and hugged me tight, or at least tight for me, when we had landed. He then brought my stuff up to his room, where I would be sleeping, and came down again to sit with me on the couch to watch a random movie Riley had put on.

In the end we had to wait four days before the Denali's arrived. 'Bella, wake up! They're here!' An overexcited Anna squealed while bouncing around the room. I grumbled something unintelligible as I dragged myself out of bed. Anna kept bouncing around the room while I had my human moment and then she all but dragged me downstairs to meet the Denali's. As we walked down the stairs I was met by six pairs of golden eyes who were looking at me curiously. 'Bella, come and meet our extended family.' Edward said. I quickly moved to his side and he hugged me before turning to the other vampires.

'These are Tanya, Irina, Kate, Garret, Eleazar and Carmen. Everyone, this is Bella Swan, my mate.' Edward said the last part proudly while he looked at me lovingly. 'It's very nice to finally meet you, Bella.' Carmen said. She stepped forward and carefully took my hand in her own. When I didn't flinch or pull back she gave me a grateful smile. 'Yes, we've heard so much about the little human in Edward's life.' Tanya said a bit annoyed. 'Don't mind her. She's just jealous, that's all.' Kate said as she shot her sister a quick glare. Kate moved to shake my hand as well, but Edward growled and pulled me back a bit. 'No Kate.' He growled dangerously. 'Oh come on, Edward. You told me your power doesn't work and I was just wondering whether my power would work.' Kate whined. 'Power?' I asked curiously. 'Yes, I can make an electric current course across my body and zap someone with it.' Kate told me proudly. 'Let her try, Edward. I'm curious about whether I can block that power too.'

Edward wanted to protest, but I ignored him. I stepped around him and held my hand out of Kate to touch. She grinned maliciously and grabbed my hand with both her hands. I braced myself for the shock, but nothing happened. 'You're not trying, are you honey.' Garret scoffed. He walked over to us and put his hand on Kate's arm. The effect was instant. He grumbled to the floor and remained there motionless. 'Guess you are trying.' He croaked. Kate let go of my hand and helped Garret back to his feet. 'Thanks, babe. By the way, Edward. Care to tell us the reason why we had to come here so fast?'

Edward nodded and we all sat down while he told the entire story. Serena came downstairs with Anna and Riley halfway through the story which made it much easier for the Denali's to believe the fact that phoenixes exist. 'So the others are looking for allies to help fight against this Master?' Irina asked when Edward finished his story. 'Yes, the others should be back soon though. We heard from everyone that they found who they were looking for. Carlisle and Esme are now on their way to Italy to see the Volturi with Jasper and Melody.' Edward explained. 'Just make yourselves at home until then.'

The group separated after that. Garret, Kate, Irina and Tanya went hunting and Eleazar went to Carlisle's study to read. Carmen stayed in the living room with Anna and Riley to talk about everything that had happened to them which left Edward, Serena and me. 'Edward, I'm going to the wolfs to tell them about our guests and why said guests are even here.' Serena said. 'Yes, that might be a good idea. Just tell them to not do anything yet until we know more details.' 'Say hi to Jacob for me.' I told her. 'I will.' Serena said with a wink. I grinned at her as she ran out of the house, spread her wings and flew off towards La Push.

**Melody POV**

After we said goodbye to Peter and Charlotte, Jasper and I flew towards Europe. Dad had told us to meet him and mom just outside of Volterra. Apparently Alice had called them that the Volturi wouldn't believe our story if we didn't bring proof that phoenixes exist with us. As mom and dad were taking an airplane to Italy we could take it easy. If we really pushed ourselves we could fly faster than any airplane there was, but there was no need for that. We still got to Italy faster than my parents did so we decided to grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant.

I had never been to Italy before and so I had never eaten actual Italian food. Jasper had never eaten Italian food before in his life and it was fun to see him look at his pizza suspiciously before picking up a slice and biting a bit off. 'Not bad.' He mumbled more to himself than to me but I couldn't hide the giggle that escaped my lips. A slight blush crept across Jasper's face and he kept his head down as he continued eating. When we were waiting for our dessert my phone started ringing. 'Dad, are you guys in Italy yet?' I asked when I flipped my phone open. 'We've just landed and are on our way to Volterra now. Where are you two?' Dad asked as I heard the airport speakers tell everyone to have a nice stay in Italy. 'We're in a small restaurant near the centre of Volterra. We'll wait at the fountain on the square as we'll probably be done eating before you can get here.' 'Okay, sweetheart. See you there.' 'Bye dad.'

I put the phone in my pocket just as our dessert was being served. Icecream was nothing new to Jasper now and he ate with a smile on his face. We paid for our dinner after the last pieces of icecream had been devoured and walked to the square at a slow human pace. Normally this would have annoyed me, but this place somehow asked for this pace. It was a peaceful city with little lights everywhere which made it all very romantic. Jasper sometimes stiffened beside me a bit as a cloaked figure walked by and I could understand why. Every time someone in a cloak walked by the scent of a vampire hung around them. I was sure that the cloaked ones were part of the Volturi and that they could smell Jasper and I weren't normal humans, but as long as they didn't do anything, neither would we.

_That guy has been watching us since the moment we sat down here._ Jasper said as he scanned the square for other vampires. _I know, but he's not doing anything and I can't sense anything from him through you so I guess we can just leave it for now. He's probably just wondering what we are, but he'll find out soon enough._ I told Jasper reassuringly.

In the end it took mom and dad about an hour before they finally arrived in Volterra. 'Traffic was horrible.' Mom apologized as she hugged me tight. 'Sorry to keep you guys waiting.' Dad said as he clapped Jasper on the shoulder. 'That's okay, Carlisle.' Jasper said. 'Let's get going though. That guy over there has been watching us ever since we sat down here and I can feel him getting more and more anxious now that you guys are here. He doesn't understand what's going on or whether to view us as a threat.' Dad looked at the vampire Jasper was talking about and nodded once. 'Yes, going inside would be the best option right now.'

He led us towards an alley next to the entrance to the castle and made us stop. 'Why are we…' I trailed off at the end as two cloaked figures appeared on both sides of the alley. 'Carlisle, how nice to see you again.' A soft, angelic voice said. 'Jane, it's nice to see you too.' Dad replied though I could hear a hint of resentment in his voice. 'To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?' Jane asked sweetly. 'We have come to see Aro about something very important. Will you escort us to him?' 'I guess I have no choice. Follow me please.' Jane turned around and walked away without seeing whether we would follow or not.

We followed Jane to the back of the castle where she opened a small door and walked inside, again without looking whether we would follow her. Dad motioned for us to go in first, but followed us quickly. The other cloaked vampire, who was about as big as Emmett, brought up the rear of our little party. Jane then led us through a long, boring hallway until we came to an impressive door. She opened it and this time she stepped back to let us enter first.

We were now standing in what could only be described as a waiting room. A receptionist was smiling at us from behind her desk and the first thing I noticed was that she was human. Jane walked passed us and gave some quick instruction to the woman before turning back towards us. 'I will go to Aro and tell him of your arrival. Please wait here.' She said all this at human speed which was probably because she thought that Jasper and I wouldn't understand her otherwise. We all nodded as a sign that we understood her and didn't move until she left the room to go alert this Aro guy. I let out a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding and leaned into Jasper a bit. 'She's one freaky girl.' I whispered only loud enough for my family to hear. 'She's special, that one. Aro created her and her brother so that they could be his ultimate duo. They both have special powers that can incapacitate another vampire in an instant.' Dad explained softly and quickly so that the receptionist couldn't hear. There was a lot of resentment in his voice that I had never heard before in my life and I wondered why that was so. He had told me his life story some time ago and had said that he had left the Volturi because of something unspeakable that Aro had done. Maybe changing the young girl and her brother had been that reason.

I didn't get much more time to think about it as the doors, through which Jane had left, opened to reveal another vampire. This time it was a boy who didn't look much older in physical appearance than Jane had. He also looked a bit like Jane which made me assume that this was the brother dad had been talking about earlier. 'Carlisle, Esme, welcome to Volterra. And you two as well.' The boy made a slight bow and gave us a fake looking smile. 'My name is Alec and I would like you all to follow me towards the throne room.' Alec said with the fake smile still in place on his face.

Alec led us through an assortment of hallways and up a couple of floors before we finally arrived at two large doors which, I guessed, led to the throne room. I could hear people walking around behind the doors and some whispered murmurs of vampires talking to each other. When a loud "come in!" sounded through the doors I rolled my eyes. Jane had probably told the vamps in the room that two humans were part of our group and thus the vampires thought they had to talk loud and clear for our benefit.

The doors opened from the inside to reveal a large round room with a high ceiling. In the middle of the room stood three thrones on which three chalky looking vampires sat. Two of them had dark hair that fell to their shoulders and the third had white hair which fell just below his shoulders. The vampire in the middle was looking at us curiously with milky red eyes while the white haired one was staring at us as if he was hoping we would drop dead right now. 'Carlisle, Esme! How nice to see you again!' The vampire in the middle called happily. 'It's good to see you too, Aro. It's been too long.' Dad replied politely. 'Yes, it has been too long, hasn't it? And for you to come by unannounced with two humans.' Aro said the last part in shock though his eyes betrayed him. He wasn't so much shocked as he was curious to know why we were all here.

'I wish I could tell you that we just came to visit, but we have not. We've come to ask for a rather large favour.' Dad said gravely. This sobered Aro up a little bit and he sat a little straighter in his chair. 'Come; take my hand so that I may see.' Aro said. He was all business like all of a sudden and I began to wonder whether he might have a split personality. Dad walked up to Aro and held out his hand and Aro, instead of shaking it, grabbed dad's hand in his and closed his eyes. Jasper quickly explained Aro's gift to me through our link because he could feel my confusion at what had just happened. After a few seconds Aro released dad and sat back on his chair. 'That is… quite interesting.' He whispered. 'Brother?' The white haired vampire leaned forward to give Aro a questioning look. 'It seems that we have a problem, Caius.' Aro replied.

Caius looked from my parents to Jasper and I and back to Aro with a bewildered look in his eyes. 'What kind of problem, Aro?' The other dark haired vampire asked in a bored drawl. 'A problem that might well mean our downfall, Marcus.' Aro whispered too soft for humans to hear. 'Please, dear friend, tell my brothers about what has been going on in your life over the past seventeen years.' Aro said. He made it sounds like a question, but the tone he used implied that dad would have no other choice than to tell them everything. However, dad turned around and smiled at Jasper and me. 'I think my daughter and her mate can explain everything much better than I can.' He said. I gave my father a smile and stepped forward. Jasper followed me instantly and I could feel his protectiveness towards me. 'Your daughter? This should be interesting.' Caius drawled. 'Yes, it will be interesting so please, listen to what I have to say.' I said at vampire speed. All three brothers, yes even Marcus, looked up in surprise and I couldn't help but smirk at them.

'Tell your story, young one.' Aro coaxed. I took a deep breath and began telling my story for the umpteenth time. Jasper helped me here and there and he finished the story as his history was one the vampires needed to know as well. 'So the god of war is a phoenix? And the leader of the phoenixes is going to attack us? Yeah right, there is no such thing as phoenixes to begin with.' Caius drawled. I hissed at him, but mom put her hand on my shoulder and shook her head. 'I have seen it in your memories, Carlisle, but it is still hard to believe. Especially because both Jasper and sweet Melody stand before us without wings.' Aro said gravely.

I sighed and looked at Jasper who nodded. I took a small step forward so that I had more room and let my wings spread out behind me. Every Volturi vampire in the room gasped as they took in the sight before them. I flexed my wings twice before folding them on my back and reaching backwards to hold Jasper's hand in mine. 'Incredible, absolutely wonderful!' Aro exclaimed. He hopped from his chair and moved towards us. He walked around us a couple of times and even made to touch my wings, but a growl from Jasper stopped him in his tracks. 'Very protective, aren't you?' He mused as he continued to study us from every angle he could. 'And you can create fire too?' He asked as he tried to look under our wings. 'Yes, we can.' Jasper answered in a sigh.

Aro stepped back and he looked like Christmas had come early this year. 'Create fire. You'd have to show that before I can believe it.' Caius snapped from his throne. _Do you think setting him on fire is going to prove the fact we can create fire?_ I asked Jasper. Caius was really annoying me by now and setting him on fire was sure to help me with said annoyance. _I don't think that's the best idea though I have to admit it is tempting._ Jasper chuckled. I suppressed a giggle that was threatening to break free and instead flicked my wrist and created a ball of fire in my hand. I looked around the room and found that a chandelier hung from the ceiling with eight candles in them. I shot my fire towards it and lighted all the candles before guiding the fire back to my hand and extinguishing it. 'Amazing, truly amazing. And you can do this too, Jasper?' Aro almost chirped with excitement.

Jasper rolled his eyes and held up his hand. A ball of blue and white fire appeared, but he didn't do anything with it. 'Happy now, Aro?' he asked in a drawl. 'Ah, yes. Very happy indeed. This is amazing. Can I…' Aro reached out to touch Jasper's fire, but Jasper extinguished it before Aro could come too close. 'I wouldn't do that, Aro. The fire of the phoenixes is very real and will kill you.' dad warned. Aro took dad's warning seriously and took a step back. 'I guess I lost myself there for a moment. It's just that this is something that I would never have thought possible.' Aro chuckled.

He walked back to his throne and sat down with a sigh. 'I suppose that if you spoke the truth about phoenixes then the fact that the story about the attack is true as well.' Marcus said. He sounded as bored as he looked and didn't even look at any of us when he spoke. 'Yes, the threat from the phoenix master is very real and we would like to ask for your help in the upcoming battle.' Mom said in her most pleading voice. 'I guess we have no choice. If this threat is as big as you say it is, it could mean the end of all of us. So yes, we will help. We will have to ready everyone though and this will take a while.' Aro mused out loud. 'You said the attack was in the summer right?' Caius interrupted. 'Yes, around August according to Alice and Serena.' dad said. 'Good, we will come at the end of July.' Caius stated with a hint of finality in his voice.

We took the hint and thanked the Volturi for their time and support in this. 'We will see each other in the summer, dear friend.' Aro said to dad as they shook hands. 'We will be waiting for all of you.' Dad replied. Jasper and I just bowed and Aro gave mom a kiss on her hand. We all left with Alec and Jane and were standing outside soon after that. It was dark which made it easy for all of us to get through the city without mom and dad becoming disco balls and we were on a plane back home only an hour later.

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**Let me know what you think ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	40. Key decision

**I'm so sorry for being so late with updating! **

**I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait ^_^**

**Jasper and Serena POV, enjoy :)**

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**Jasper POV**

For the first time in my life I slept on an airplane and I have to say that it's not that comfortable at all. The seats we were in could become a bed which was at least something, but it was too hard to lie comfortably on. Then there was the noise of the engines and the fact that turning around meant bumping into the sides of the chair. All in all, I didn't sleep more than an hour or two. Melody on the other hand was sleeping soundly in her chair as if it was the most comfortable bed ever. I didn't even want to think what it would be like to fly economy class and was very grateful that we had more than enough money to travel first class.

When the plane finally landed I was one of the first people who walked out of it. Melody followed quickly and Esme and Carlisle weren't far behind either. We didn't have any luggage with us so we walked out of the airport fifteen minutes after we had landed. 'Guys, over here.' Someone called from the left and we turned around to see Edward and Bella standing in front of the Mercedes. 'Edward, Bella, what a surprise.' Esme exclaimed. She ran over at a fast human speed and engulfed her son and his mate in a motherly hug. I could feel her love for the both of them coming from her in waves. 'That's mom for you.' Melody whispered. I nodded and took Melody's hand as we walked over to the little reunion scene.

Esme let go of Edward then which gave me a chance to greet my brother. 'How was the trip?' Edward asked casually. 'Fun and interesting.' I replied with a grin. 'We'll tell you when we're home.' Edward nodded and moved on to greet Carlisle. Meanwhile Melody and Bella were talking about everything that had happened since we had left. Now you might think that that is useful, but it's not as if the girls were talking about the mission we had been on. No, instead they were talking about the weather, friends, shopping, movies and such.

Carlisle and Esme got in the car after the girls had finally calmed down, but Melody and I remained outside. 'We'll fly home.' I told them. Edward just shrugged and stepped into the driver's seat while Bella hugged Melody one more time before getting in the front passenger's seat. 'See you at home.' She said cheerfully. She closed her door and waved as Edward backed up and drove away.

Melody and I walked towards the edge of the airport casually until we found a corner where no one would be able to see us. We stretched our wings behind us and jumped into the air as fast as possible so that humans wouldn't be able to see us. The flight home didn't take us long, but it felt great to be flying on our own instead of using an airplane. As we landed I was engulfed in a hug by Alice who had come bounding out of the house. 'I missed you guys!' she squeaked happily. She jumped back, grabbed Melody and started spinning her around. 'You never change, do you Alice?' Melody giggled as she let herself be danced into the house.

I shook my head and followed them inside only to be met by a chorus of "Jasper" coming from the occupants of the room. The next thing I knew I was hugged and kissed by four different women and clapped on the back by two men. When all of them finally pulled back I heaved a sigh of relief before smiling at the people before me. 'Jasper, it's been too long,' Tanya said. 'I know, but things happened and― 'We know,' Kate interrupted me. 'You've changed… literally,' Irina said softly as she touched my arm carefully as if I was fragile or something. 'Yes, I know, but didn't Edward and Bella explain everything already?' I asked. 'Yes, but knowing it and seeing it is something completely different, man,' Garret said with a smirk on his face.

I felt a blush spread across my face which made Garret howl with laughter. 'I'm sorry, dude. I've just never seen you blush before,' Garret chuckled. This only made me blush more and I was glad that they spotted Melody then. 'You must be Melody. It's lovely to finally meet the mystery girl in the Cullen's lives.' Irina said as she held out her hand for Melody to shake. As Kate, Tanya and Carmen focussed on Melody as well I slipped away and let myself fall on the couch. I closed my eyes, hoping to get a bit of sleep, when the door banged open and Emmett came bouncing into the room. 'Jasper, Melody, you guys are back too!' he boomed and jumped onto the couch next to me. Rosalie followed him with a lot more grace and hugged me before sitting down. 'How did you guys do?' she asked me casually as she watched the exchange between the Denali's and Melody. 'It all went fine, even the Volturi visit wasn't that bad.' I shrugged. 'Carlisle will want a family meeting when everyone's back.' Alice chirped. She sat down on the other couch with Zackary and she seemed happy. She couldn't fool me though. Her feelings were still concerned and I knew she had been trying to see the decision that would put the battle in our favour.

Edward, Bella, Carlisle and Esme arrived a few minutes later and after more hugs and kisses we all sat down in the living room. Normally we would have family meetings in the dining room, but as we were with too many now we had no choice but to do it in the living room. The phoenixes, minus Serena who was still in La Push according to Edward, and Bella sat down and the vampires took the remaining seats or remained standing as it didn't really bother them. Not that it bothered us to stand, but for some reason they thought that phoenixes weren't able to stand so long as we were more human like than them.

Carlisle began the meeting with telling all of us that he was proud of what we had accomplished with our nomad and coven friends. He also complemented Anna and Riley on their improvement in controlling their bloodlust and I could feel pride coming from both of them. Then it was time for everyone to tell their story about what happened with the coven they were supposed to be looking for. The last thing that was discussed was whether any of what we had done had influenced Alice's visions in any way. Sadness radiated from her then and she shook her head. 'No, nothing has changed. The possibility of either future happening is still there, unchanged. The mood in the room changed to a slightly depressed one then and I quickly excused myself.

Once outside I breathed in the fresh air and tried to clear my mind. We still had time before the battle would commence and there had to be a way to turn this around so that we would win. _You okay?_ Melody asked. I turned around to see her walking towards me at a human speed. She looked and felt worried, but her love for me was the thing I focussed on. It helped me calm down and I smiled at my girl as she wrapped her arms around my waist and put her head on my chest. 'Everything will be fine.' Melody whispered to me. I buried my nose in her hair and breathed in her scent which calmed me even more. 'Let's get out of here for tonight. Just the two of us.' I whispered. I felt Melody nod and pull back a bit. She then stood on her toes and gave me a quick kiss before spreading her wings and flying up.

I quickly followed her and we flew off towards a small clearing a few miles away from the house. It was completely secluded and only accessible through the air as it was on top of a cliff. The view was beautiful as it looked out over the ocean to the west which meant sunset was the best time to go here. I landed on the edge of the cliff and looked out over the ocean as Melody landed beside me. 'I love this place.' Melody whispered barely loud enough for me to hear. When we had first come to this place we had agreed that talking out loud would ruin the magic of this place. We therefore never spoke louder than a whisper or just spoke through our link.

Melody folded her wings away completely and let herself fall down on the grass with a content sigh. I smiled and lay down next to her. She quickly snuggled up to me and I put my arm around her, holding her tight. These were the moments we savoured ever since Melody had been taken by the Master. Now was even more important as the battle with the Master came closer and closer and we still had no idea which of the two visions would come true.

After a few minutes of just lying on the ground Melody pushed herself up and softly pressed her lips to mine. The kiss soon deepened and I twisted us so that I was on top of my mate. Melody gasped and I could feel her lust spike. 'If you keep emitting that much lust I'm not sure whether I can restrain myself.' I whispered hoarsely. 'Maybe I don't want you to.' Melody purred back. Before I could comment to that she put one of her hand behind my head and the other on my back and dragged me down. The moment my lips came in contact with hers my own lust increased as well. I carefully monitored Melody's emotions then, but all I could feel was love, trust and lust. Those feelings made me drop my restrains and I kissed Melody passionately, letting all my love for her pour out of me.

**Serena POV**

I felt kind of bad for leaving like that, but being in a room full of vampires without any of my own kind around wasn't something I was used to yet. I felt threatened by them even though I knew they weren't going to harm me. It was the instinct I was brought up with and one that I wasn't able to drop just yet. My mother had raised me with the stories of vampires killing phoenixes in the dead of the night. Of them sneaking up on us, not making a sound and before you knew it you were drained. Apparently our blood had been some kind of trophy to them especially since our kind disposed of vampires for hurting humans. Living with a bunch of vampires now was something I had never thought would happen. I had to admit that the Cullens weren't bad. They drank from animals and had an amazing control over their bloodlust so I was able to relax a little around them.

The problem at the moment was the new arrivals. I didn't know them and even though they have golden eyes like the Cullens, it didn't mean that they were the same. They might hunt animals, but their control might not be as good. I had to get to know them before I could relax around them, that much was for sure. Going to La Push was a great excuse to be away from the vamps for a little bit. It was true that the wolfs needed to know about the vamps that would be arriving so using that excuse wouldn't cause any of the Cullens to think I might not trust them or their extended family.

I arrived in La Push in record time and landed on a secluded spot on the beach. The spot was surrounded by rocks and the only way to get there was either flying or swimming the strong currents that were near this beach. I quickly folded my wings away and swam against the current to the beach that was accessible from the town on foot. I dried myself while walking and used my nose to find one of the wolfs. It was the easiest way to track them.

'Hey, bird-girl!' I spun around to see the same guy as a few days ago running up to me. 'Uhm… Paul… right?' I asked a bit uncertain. It wasn't that my memory was bad, but the meeting before had been very brief and I had other things on my mind then. I still had other things on my mind though this time it involved him and his band of happy dogs as well. 'You remembered my name!' Paul said happily. 'Yes, a perfect memory does that.' I told him smugly. Paul just rolled his eyes at me and before I knew it he had me engulfed in a bear hug. 'What are you doing?' I asked shocked. 'Saying hello.' Paul chuckled. 'This is _not_ saying hello. This is an assault!' I yelled.

Paul put me down and looked at me with a stupid grin on his face. 'What?' I asked angrily. 'Nothing.' Paul shrugged. 'So, why did you come all the way out here?' he asked casually, but I could tell something was bothering him. 'I came to talk to all of you pups. There are some friends coming over at the Cullen home and I thought you might want to know how many and why they are coming.' I told him. 'Sure, follow me.' Paul walked away without a backwards glance and I bit down a growl and followed him. Who was he to ignore me like that? First he hugs me like that and then he acts like I'm a stranger. Seriously, I don't get these dogs anymore than I get vampires.

The cocky pup led me through the village until we came to a small house at the edge of the town. I could already hear and smell the other dogs in there and was glad that my alone time with Paul was about to end. We had been walking in an uncomfortable silence ever since Paul walked away on the beach and it was really starting to annoy me. A couple of more minutes of this and I might have set him on fire. 'Not everyone is in there so I'll change and call them. You go ahead and enter.' Paul drawled. 'Fine.' I huffed and didn't look at him as I walked into the house.

Every head in the small room I had just entered turned to me. It was a funny sight as they were in the middle of a meal and some had food hanging out of their mouths. Jacob was the first to recover. He quickly swallowed his mouth full of food and grinned at me. 'Serena! Didn't expect you to come here again anytime soon.' He said. 'Yeah well, I was in the neighbourhood anyway.' I shrugged. 'Of course you were.' Jacob winked at me and gave me a knowing smile which I dismissed as him being ridiculous. 'Care to introduce me to your pack brothers?' I asked. 'Sure.' Jacob came to stand next to me, put his arm around my shoulder without asking whether that was okay, and started introducing his brothers. I nodded to each of them as Jacob named them and then introduced myself to them. Some of the pups questioned my being a phoenix, but I ignored them. They knew about Melody and Zackary and if they didn't want to belief I was one too, then I couldn't care less. The only one who had to believe me was their Alpha and he wasn't here yet.

'When will your Alpha be here?' I asked Jacob as I sat down on the kitchen table. 'Don't know. Probably soon though.' Jacob shrugged. He grabbed another cupcake and jammed the whole thing in his mouth. 'That's disgusting.' I commented. 'That's the way we eat.' Embry piped in. 'No, that's the way you think you should eat.' A female voice said. I looked up to see a woman with long, dark hair standing in the doorway. She was about my height and was very pretty even though she had three long scars on her face. 'Emily! Did you bring more food?' Collin asked from the back of the group. 'Yes, but it's for tonight, not for now.' Emily said in a stern, motherly voice. She spotted me then and gave me a loving smile. 'And who might you be?' she asked. 'I'm Serena, one of the phoenixes. I'm not sure whether you've heard about us from these guys though.' I explained. 'Ah yes, Sam told me all about the phoenixes that are living with the Cullens, though he never mentioned you. The only two he talked about were Melody and Zackary.' 'That's because I didn't come until quite recently.' I told her.

Emily nodded in understanding and then told everyone to go outside and grab the groceries she had bought. The boys quickly complied and I watched in amazement as they brought bag after bag into the small house. 'For how many weeks did you buy food?' I asked in shock. 'Just for tonight and tomorrow morning.' Emily explained casually. I shook my head and decided that this was something I just didn't get. How could anyone eat this much? I knew the pack was big, but this was enough food to feed an entire village with! 'Impressed?' Jacob asked as he brought the last bag into the house. 'Just a bit.' I admitted. 'Okay, everyone out please. I need room to put this all way and to start with the dinner preparations.' Emily told us. She didn't wait for a reply and shoed all of us out of the house, including me.

'Let's go to the beach and wait for the others there.' Embry suggested and the others immediately agreed. I followed the howling and laughing pack members to the beach and found a log to sit on while the pups played in the water. Every one of them was soaking wet within a few seconds which made the water fight they were having kind of useless. Instead they decided that just swimming and sometimes dragging someone underwater was fun as well and I enjoyed watching them more then I would have thought.

After about ten minutes I heard the sound of feet running towards us from behind me and I looked around to see Paul and five others run towards us. I was shocked to see that one of them was a woman as I had expected all of the wolfs to be guys. Paul winked at me as he sped past me and dived into the ocean. Two of the others guys who were with him followed his example and quickly joined the water fight that had once again started because of the new arrivals. The eldest of the bunch and the girl came up to me though. 'So, you're the bird-girl?' the girl asked with a small grin on her face. I growled at the way she addressed me and made a mental note to kick Paul once he was out of the water. For now I swallowed my annoyance and gave the wolf girl a small smile. 'Yes, I'm Serena.' I told her. 'I'm Leah and this is our Alpha, Sam.' Leah introduced herself and the man standing next to her. 'Ah, just the man I needed.' I said happily. 'What I heard from Paul is that you've got some big news which concerns the entire pack, not just me. Would you mind telling it to everyone?' Sam asked. 'No, not at all. I just figured that the pack leader should at least be present when I tell you.' I said. Sam nodded and turned his attention to the sea. 'Everyone out, now!' he barked. The water fight stopped instantly and one by one the boys walked out of the sea while grumbling about Sam being a spoilsport. 'Where do you want to do this?' Sam asked me. 'Here's fine, if you guys don't mind sitting on the beach.' 'Not at all!' Paul boomed and he walked over and sat down on the ground less than a foot away from me.

The others followed his example and I was soon sitting in a circle with a lot of tan teenagers. All of them were looking at me expectantly as children would look at their mother before she told them what they might get for Christmas this year. 'Okay, the reason I came to see you guys― 'Is because you like us!' Paul boomed. 'No, because I have some news.' I growled at him. Paul gulped at the death glare I was giving him and quickly turned his head down. He became very interested in the sand beneath his feet which was just fine by me. 'Anyway, I have some news that concerns you guys as much as it concerns me and the Cullens. Alice and I both had a vision about a large battle that will take place this summer. We've had two visions, one of our side winning and one of our side losing horribly.' 'Between which two forces is this battle?' Jacob asked. 'Between the phoenixes who are led by the Master and the once who oppose him.' I said.

'You mean the Cullens?' Sam asked bitterly. 'Yes, but it's not just them. The Master has been viewing all the mythical creatures of earth a thread for some time now. You see, phoenixes exist to protect humans from threats they cannot fight such as vampires and werewolves. Both those parties found us out a couple of thousand years ago and killed us one by one in our sleep. The vampires were the ones doing the most damage as they didn't make a sound while approaching us. This caused us to move away from earth and to the parallel world from which we originated. From there we still helped the humans, but not as much as we used to. The Master had grown bitter by then as it was the fault of the mythical creatures that we were forced to stay in our own world and he made it his mission to get rid of the vampires and such. As we all knew the stories we agreed and over the next couple of years we tried to exterminate as many of them as we could.

'The problem was that after a couple of decades the vampires understood what was going on and went into hiding. They mingled with humans and didn't attack in the open anymore. This made our job harder and in the end the Master called us all back to rethink his plan. In this time the southern vampire wars started and even though some of us wanted to help the humans who lived in the middle of the new born armies the Master wouldn't let us. We grew more and more distant from earth until two of our kind escaped with their daughter. You all know this girl as Melody who is living with the Cullens.'

Most of the wolfs in the circle were shocked by my story so far and I gave them a couple of seconds to process it all. 'So, what do you want from us now?' Leah asked curiously. 'We would like to ask for your help in the upcoming battle. If the Master wins then the hope for a better future for all of us will be lost.' I explained. 'Why would the future be lost?' Seth asked. 'Because of a prophecy that was made years and years ago. It said that a Halfling would and the tyranny that the Master has brought upon us all, but that if the Halfling would fail darkness will rule and everyone will suffer. If the Master wins this fight he will stop at nothing to rid the world of mythical creatures such as yourself and the Cullens.' It sounded like I was pleading by now and I didn't like it one bit. I had no choice though as we really needed all the help we could get in this battle.

'And this Halfling… who is he or she?' Sam asked. 'Oh right, you guys don't know yet. When Melody was taken away after the newborn battle Zackary, Jasper and Rosalie went to get her. During that rescue Jasper made the transformation from vampire to the phoenix he was always meant to be. His mother's a phoenix, though we don't know where she is, and his father was human.' I told them. 'So a leech turned into a phoenix? That's something new.' Jacob chuckled. I nodded, but turned my head back to Sam. 'So, will you help us?' I asked a bit uncertain. Sam looked around the group and I followed his gaze to see all of the others nod. 'Yes, we will help. Let us know when the date is set and we will be there.' Sam said with the authority only an Alpha had.

'Thank you so much.' I told him sincerely. 'Oh, one more thing. As we need all the help we can get we've ask vampire friends to come. Most of them agreed and some of them have already arrived. The ones who have arrived are veggies like the Cullens, but most of the covens that will come this way aren't.' A couple of growls came from the group when I mentioned this and I felt Paul shake beside me. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm in and it seemed to work a little. 'I don't like it either, but we have no choice. They will hunt far away from here and that's all we can do.' 'That's all we can ask. Even though we don't like it we don't get to say what those leeches can and cannot do. As long as they don't hunt in this area we won't do anything against them.' Sam said.

I was glad that things had turned out this way as I watched the group split up. Some of the wolfs went to find wood for a campfire they wanted to have tonight while others went on patrol or went to look for their imprints, whatever those were. The only one who remained with me was Paul who was once again interested in the sand beneath him. 'What's an imprint?' I asked him after a few minutes of silence. Paul looked up and gave me a small smile. 'It's what we call our soulmate. Once we find our soulmate an unbreakable bond is instantly created and nothing will be more important than that person. An imprint becomes the thing you think about most and every moment your away from your soulmate you will be hurting.' Paul explained and I could almost hear the hurt he was talking about in his voice. 'Are you away from your imprint now?' I asked carefully, not wanting to hurt his feelings. 'I was.' Was the short reply I got.

I turned my gaze towards the ocean and thought about what he had said. The conclusion that I should come up with was easy, but I didn't want it to be true. I was a pure blood phoenix and he was a dog. How could I be his soulmate? I shook my head and turned back to Paul. He was looking at me curiously and with a glint of hope in his eyes. 'Me…' I breathed and the hope in Paul's eyes disappeared to be replaced with love and happiness in an instant. 'Okay… I have to get used to this big time. Let's… let's just go for a walk so I can sort things out.' I told him.

Paul jumped up eagerly and offered his hand which I took automatically. It felt natural to hold his hand and I filed that as proof that he was my soulmate. As we walked down the beach we talked about all sorts of things. I told him about my life in a nutshell and he told me about his life as a shape-shifter. When we came to the spot I had swam to earlier today Paul had his arm around my waist and I wondered when that had happened. 'So… you're going back from here?' Paul asked, sounding a bit sad. 'Yeah… but I'll be back soon.' I promised. I reached up and placed a kiss on Paul's cheek. It all felt so natural and I began to officially accept that he was my soulmate when I was pulled into a vision.

_It was the beginning of the battle again, but this time I was standing somewhere else. I was standing with the wolfs, next to Paul, and could see what was happening in the middle of the field. Jasper was talking with the Master while Melody stood by his side. I looked over to the rest of the Cullens who were standing behind them and saw that Bella was among them. She had bright red eyes and was holding onto Edward's hand while concentrating on something. _

_The scene shifted to the positive ending of the battle and I was once again standing next to Paul and looking at the Cullens. Bella was among them and she looked proud. _

_Once again the scene shifted back to the battlefield but this time I couldn't see Bella among the Cullens. When the scene changed this time it was to reveal the victory of the Master. I was lying on the ground, holding Paul's hand and silent tears streamed down my face as I closed my eyes._

I gasped as I came out of the vision and felt tears run down my cheeks onto Paul's chest. It took me a moment to realise that Paul was holding me tight and telling me that everything would be alright. I waited until the tears stopped and then pulled back a bit. 'I know what must be done for us to win the battle.' I whispered. 'What? How?' Paul asked confused. 'In my vision… I was standing with you instead of with the Cullens as I had before. I could now see all the Cullens from a distance and saw that Bella was a vampire. This led to the positive ending of the battle where the vision without Bella led to the destruction of us all.' I said softly. 'Bella will have to be changed, but that decision hasn't been made yet. I have to go home and convince them to change her as soon as possible.' I was rambling by now, but I didn't care. I didn't like vampires and the thought of losing a human to that side wasn't something I liked, but we had no choice.

'I'm coming with you.' Paul stated. I looked up at him to see the determination of his decision in his eyes. 'I'll change and run there so that I can tell whoever is on patrol what has to be done. They will tell Sam. I'll see you at the Cullen's place, sweetheart.' He bend down then and quickly but softly pressed his lips to mine. Before I could react he ran into the woods and I turned around and swam to my secluded spot so that I could spread my wings without being seen. I had to convince them to change Bella, no matter what.

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**A bit of Jasper/Melody fluff and a look in Serena's mind :) Let me know what you think!**

**~Marieke~**


	41. Bella's change

**The next chapter :) Emmett and Bella POV, enjoy ^_^**

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**Emmett POV**

Why can't anything just be normal already? When the meeting had been over Rosie and I had decided to get some us time again so we excused ourselves and raced upstairs to our bedroom. As soon as we did that, the others went away which meant no one was going to disturb us… or so I thought. We hadn't been upstairs for more than an hour when we were called down again by Esme. I grumbled and cursed only loud enough for Rosie and myself to hear as we dressed. 'We'll get our time, baby.' Rosalie cooed. I sighed and gave her a quick kiss. 'I know, but this is really starting to annoy me.' I grumbled.

We walked downstairs at a normal human speed to see an obviously excited Serena standing in the living room. The next thing I noticed was a broad young man standing in the doorway and the smell that came from him was revolting. I made a face as I walked down the rest of the stairs. Rosalie hissed when we came to stand in front of Serena and the guy in the doorway growled in response. I pulled Rosalie behind me in an instant and glared at the guy. 'Paul, don't.' Serena said without looking at this Paul guy. Paul relaxed a tiny bit and I did the same. Rosalie, however, remained tense and kept glaring at our visitor.

'So… what are you so excited about?' I asked as Serena just kept bouncing in place. 'Carlisle told me to wait until the rest is here, but trust me, it's huge.' Serena promised me with a wink. 'Okay, we'll wait, but what is that _dog_ doing here?' Rosalie sneered from behind me. The dog in question growled again and I quickly grabbed Rosie's arm to prevent her from attacking the guy. I had to admit that I was wondering the very same thing. The wolfs from La Push had never come to our house before so why now? 'Paul is here to look after me even though he knows I don't need his protection', Serena shot a glare at Paul then before continuing, 'but apparently this is part of the whole imprint thing the wolfs do.'

She spun around then and raced at vampire speed, or I guess it would be phoenix speed in her case, to Paul who opened his arms for her. 'We'll be outside as the smell in here isn't really nice for Paul. Just call us when the others are here.' Serena told us and went outside without waiting for our reply. 'Good riddance. That wet dog smell was really starting to annoy me.' Rosalie huffed. She pulled her arm out of my hand, went to sit on the couch and grabbed a magazine to read. Esme soon came in and did the same and I was left standing in the room as if I wasn't even there. I thought about going up to Carlisle, but dismissed that thought as soon as it entered my head. I do love my vampire father a lot, but he's never any fun to hang around with especially when he's busy in his study.

Lucky for me Zackary came running into the house then and I decided then and there that we just needed to have a Halo match on the Xbox. Zackary was a great opponent when it came to Halo. He had never played it in his own world, but had learned quickly and was the only one who matched my skills now. As we played both Damian and Riley decided to join us while the women went to the kitchen to make dinner or something. We played online and laughed together when the humans made a stupid mistake and got themselves killed. Riley and Damian weren't as good as Zackary and I, but were still far better than the best human. This meant the four of us were at the top of each match all the time.

'Let's do one more!' Riley said. 'Fine by me. Prepare to lo―' I stopped midsentence and jumped up as a smell hit my nose hard. My head snapped to the cause of said smell and I was standing in front of it less than a second later. Zackary was right behind me and I could tell without looking at him that his thoughts were on the same thing. Jasper, who was standing in front of me, had done an unspeakable thing to our little sister. 'What. Did. You. Do?' I pronounced every word clearly and finished the sentence in a growl which made Jasper flinch slightly. 'Emmett, stop it!' Melody cried from behind Jasper. 'Stay out of this, little sis. this is between Jasper and us.' Zackary said with authority. 'Jasper, we need to talk… now!' I growled. I grabbed his arm without waiting for any kind of reply and dragged him upstairs. Zackary stayed behind to argue with a now enraged Melody, but followed me quickly. 'Melody is angry, but is being held downstairs by Damian and Riley.' Zackary told me.

I nodded and turned back to Jasper who was looking from me to Zackary and back again. 'Okay, now tell us what you did and don't even think about lying.' I told Jasper. 'You know what happened so why would you want me to tell you?' Jasper asked. He sounded a bit angry, but I didn't care. He did things to my baby sister and I wasn't going to let him get away with it. 'That's my baby sister!' Zackary growled. 'Yes, and my mate.' Jasper shot back. 'Look guys, I understand that you see her as your little sister, but she's my mate and that is one of the things mates do. Just get over it already.' With that Jasper got up and walked towards the door of the room. 'Wait just a―' I couldn't finish what I wanted to say as I fell down and started laughing uncontrollably.

Jasper just smirked at me and walked out of the door and back downstairs while I just kept laughing. Zackary crouched down in front of me with an amused expression on his face. 'Dude, you should have stopped the moment he walked out of here. I understand your feelings as I feel the same, but he is right. Sorry, but this is a battle we can't win.' Zackary told me solemnly as the urge to laugh left me. I jumped up and glared at Zack though I knew he was right. Of course I wasn't going to admit that so I huffed and stalked out of the room and down the stairs without saying a word to my phoenix brother.

Down stairs the women who were home were talking quietly, but excitedly with Melody. I ignored them as they seemed happy about what had happened and would never side with me on this. I was about to sit down when I heard the distinct sound of Bella's heartbeat. A smile appeared on my face immediately and I dashed outside to wait for the arrival of my baby human sister. My patience was rewarded as three minutes later the Edward's Volvo came driving towards me. Bella was looking nervous and I guessed that Edward had told her that something imported was going to be explained. Edward nodded as he heard my thoughts to tell me that I was right.

Bella got out of the car at her slow and careful human pace and I wasted no time in giving her a bear hug. 'Em…mett… I need… to… breathe.' Bella said in between breaths. I quickly released her and put her down on the ground carefully. 'Emmett, be careful will you.' Edward growled to low for my baby sister to hear. I ignored him and turned my attention back to Bella who was grinning at me with a slight blush on her cheeks. 'I've missed you _little_ sis.' I told her, putting an emphasis on the little. I saw Edward quark an eyebrow at this and I quickly told him what had happened with Jasper and Melody. Edward grinned as he saw what happened in my thoughts. 'Not funny.' I growled too low for Bella to here.

'Let's go inside, Bella.' Edward said. He didn't wait for my baby sister to answer and just steered her into the house and out of my sight. I sighed and followed them inside where the others had settled down in the living room. In the time I was outside waiting for Bella both Garret and Kate had returned as well and now everyone was here to hear all about Serena's great revelation. It was amazing to see that even a room as large as ours looked small with so many occupants in it.

I sat down on the floor at my Rosie's feet and was about to ask where Serena and the pup were when the smell of wet dog filled my nostrils. Everyone's head turned around simultaneously, but only the vampires were looking at the pup in disgust. The phoenixes were just looking at Paul with a friendly smile. Only Jasper was looking at Paul with a surprised look on his face. The pup seemed to notice this and quirked his right eyebrow in question. 'I'm just not used to not making a face when I smell you.' Jasper said with a shrug. 'Same here, bird-guy.' Paul grinned. 'If you guys don't mind, I want to stay here so that I still have some fresh air from behind me.' Paul said to the rest of us and he wrinkled his nose to emphasize his point. 'Of course, no problem.' Carlisle said for all of us. Paul just nodded and watched as Serena went to stand next to Carlisle and began her story.

**Bella POV**

Serena took a deep breath and gave me a small smile before she began her story. She told us about her realisation that she was Paul's imprint and that once she accepted that she was hit by a vision. The vision was apparently the same as before, but this time she saw it from a different point of view. The first couple of times she had, had the vision she had been standing with the Cullens, but this time she had been standing with the wolfs. This had given her a good view of the Cullen family and she realised what was the difference between either ending of the battle.

She took a deep breath before continuing and looked at me when she said the next couple of words. 'The only difference between the visions was that in the version where we won… Bella was changed.' Serena whispered the last three words and was then met by a deafening silence. I felt Edward's arm tighten around me and I looked up at his face to see that he was trying very hard to restrain himself. I pulled my left arm free from his grip and put it on his cheek lightly. His features seemed to soften a bit and he gave me a small and strained smile. 'That's really the only difference you saw?' Carlisle asked. I turned to look at him and saw that same grim expression on his face as Edward had. Serena nodded and looked really guilty now.

'Okay, stop this.' I said. Everyone turned their head towards me and Emmett even quirked his eyebrow at me. 'Don't look at me like that. Why is everyone so sad when they hear I have to be changed? You all know I want to be changed and that it would have happened one way or the other as I'm Edward's soulmate.' I told them a bit agitated. 'We know, Bella… but this isn't the way we wanted it to happen. You should choose the time of your changed yourself. You have the choice none of us had so we wanted you to use it.' Esme said and I could see tears that would never fall in her eyes. I looked around and saw that both Anna and Rosalie had tears in their eyes as well. For a second I didn't understand why, but then it hit me. 'You're afraid I'm going to regret it because I won't be able to have kids anymore after the change.' I stated. Edward had once told me that both Esme and Rosalie would do anything to be able to have children and therefore always hated a part of this life.

'Bella… we just don't want you to rush into this. Not when you have a choice.' Rosalie said sincerely which shocked me. She had always kind of ignored me and now she was being so sincere with me. 'Thank you, Rose… but having children was never an option for me.' I told her. The reaction to this was amazing. Everyone in the room, vampire, wolf and phoenix, gasped at what I had said. Only Edward stayed quiet and just squeezed my arm softly. I had told him about this a couple of weeks ago which had made him more eager to change me. This time I had to tell the rest of my soon to be family. 'I was born with an illness which resulted in me becoming unable to have children.' I told them all matter-of-factly.

Everyone was quite for a few seconds, but all too soon both Rosalie and Esme engulfed me in a hug. 'I'm so sorry for you, Bella.' Esme whispered as she kissed the top of my head. Rosalie didn't say anything and just held me while she sobbed. I had a feeling that it wasn't just for me, but also for the children she would never have. It was a perfect moment for the few minutes that it lasted. Carlisle all too soon cleared his throat and both Esme and Rosalie let go of me a bit reluctantly. 'Bella, if what Serena says is true than we will have to change you soon. You will have to be taught several things and of course have to control your bloodlust before the battle is upon us.' Carlisle explained in a businesslike tone. I nodded and turned to Edward who was looking at me with sad eyes. 'Will you change me?' I asked quietly. 'I'll try.' Edward said but I could hear the doubt in his voice.

I was about to ask where we would do this when Carlisle spoke up again. 'We won't be doing this now, Bella. We'll need time to prepare some things and I'm sure that Paul will have to talk to his Alpha about your change as it violates the treaty with have with the Quileute tribe. We also have to come up with a way to make Charlie let go of you.' He said. I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right and I didn't want to hurt my father by just not coming home anymore. He deserved an explanation of some sort even though I couldn't tell him what was really going on.

I sighed in defeat and nodded. Edward pulled me softly back on the couch and kissed my cheek lovingly. 'We'll think of something to say to Charlie. Don't worry about it.' He whispered though I knew everyone else in the room could hear what he was saying as well. 'First things first though, we have to figure out the safest way for Bella to change. Now that it isn't a life or death situation we can think this through which means that we might be able to safe her from a lot of pain.' Carlisle said. I shuddered involuntarily at the mention of pain. I had experienced a part of that pain before and I knew that the actual transformation was going to be a hundred times worse. I started tracing the scar on my hand absentmindedly and was glad when the others adjourned the meeting and everyone went their own way.

'Come outside with us, Bella.' The bell-like voice of Melody called. I looked up to see her standing in the doorway with a baseball in her hands. 'If you're going to play baseball or something like that you should leave me out of it.' I told her quickly while eyeing the ball suspiciously and wondering where she had gotten it from so quickly. 'No, but you might like to see us play catch.' Melody said with a wink. I turned to Edward, but he just smiled and pulled me up. We walked outside just in time to see Melody, Jasper and Zackary fly up and Emmett, Riley and Alice spread out on the ground. 'Serena, Paul, wanna join?' Zackary called down. Serena looked at Paul for a second, but he nodded with a grin on his face. He quickly found a spot on the ground while Serena took off into the air. It was amazing to see how quickly Paul got used to being around vampires.

The game soon started and it was amazing to see. The four on the ground would throw the ball up to one of the phoenixes in the sky who in their turn threw the ball down again. No one really aimed for anyone which made the game that much more fun for the players. They started with soft throws and I had a feeling they did this for my benefit. Emmett was the first to start throwing harder which resulted in the others doing the same. The game was soon going too fast for me to follow and I just sat down and watched the phoenixes move across the sky. It was amazing to see the different colours of their wings intermingle and the speed at which they were moving was only adding to that sight.

Edward all too soon ruined the moment by telling me that I should go home and spend what time I had left with my father. I cursed under my breath, which of course he heard, but knew he was right. To my surprise it was Rosalie who helped me pack and it was an even bigger surprise when she told me she was the one who would take me home. Edward wanted to protest, but Carlisle called him to his office before he could say more than "but". I guessed they had to discuss some things about my change and I was glad to be able to bond with Rosalie a little before I became a blood crazed, newborn vampire.

I automatically walked to Edward's Volvo when we entered the garage, but Rose grabbed my arm and dragged me to her convertible. 'When you ride with me, you ride in style.' She said firmly. I grinned at that and quickly got in the car while she put my bags in the back of the car and got into the driver's seat.

The drive to my house was spend chattering about all kinds of things. I learned that Rosalie wasn't actually all that into fashion, but that Alice kind of got her into it over the years. She told me about how she loved fixing cars and that, if I would like it, she could teach me. I eagerly accepted her offer and started thinking about what I could do to make my truck better in the future.

Charlie was already home when we got there and hugged me a bit awkwardly as he was also holding a can of beer when he opened the door. Him meeting Rosalie was a lot of fun as he couldn't articulate properly and he only kept staring at Rose as if she might disappear any second. 'Dad, staring is rude.' I muttered when he wouldn't move or say anything. This snapped him out of whatever he was in. He muttered a quick apology before stomping into the living room and sitting down on the couch.

'Thanks for bringing me home, Rosalie.' I said as Rose put my bags down in my room. 'You don't have to thank me, Bella. Besides, I'm not leaving yet. I'll be staying with you until we hear from Carlisle about what we're going to do about… well, everything.' Rosalie said all this with a smile and I could only guess that she actually liked spending time with me though I didn't really understand why. I wasn't that interesting, Charlie wasn't that interesting and the house was less than interesting. I shrugged it off though and turned my computer on to see that I had a couple of emails from my mom. I quickly answered them and then started on dinner. Rosalie insisted on helping me and it turned out she was quite a good cook. When I told her this she just shrugged and told me about how Esme and her had often made meals for Melody as Jasper almost always screwed it up.

The next couple of days went by quietly. We only got a call once telling us that Peter and Charlotte had arrived and Carlisle called to tell us that the Sam had given his permission for my change. Charlie did know that something was going on as I was being a bit evasive every time he asked about the Cullens. I just didn't know what to tell him and I hadn't heard anything about a plan on what to tell Charlie. When it was five days after Serena had told us about the change in her vision the phone rang and I was just too late to pick it up. 'Swan here.' I heard my father say as I came to a stop in the kitchen where the phone was. 'Yes, she's here' Charlie took the phone from his ear and offered it to me. 'It's for you from the hospital.' He said and I could hear a bit of fear in his voice.

I took the phone from him and waited until Charlie had gone into the living room. 'Bella Swan.' I said as I wasn't sure whether it was Carlisle or not. 'Bella, it's Carlisle.' I heard the familiar voice of my vampire father say. I let out a sigh in relief at which Carlisle chuckled. 'I will come over to your house soon and tell your father that the last time you were in the hospital we found traces of something. We will then show him some results and tell him you'll have to be treated in another country for this.' 'Okay, but what will happen once weeks go by and Charlie will…' I trailed off as I understood what the plan was. They were going to wait a few days, maybe weeks, and then tell Charlie I had died because of the illness. Whatever illness it was that Carlisle had in mind, it had to be something aggressive that wouldn't take long to kill me. 'Bella, are you still there?' I shook myself back to reality and quickly told him I was still there. Carlisle then told me he would be at my house in a few minutes.

I hung the phone back and went to sit with Charlie who was looking at me with a worried expression on his face. 'You okay, kid?' He asked. I shook my head and did something I had never done before in my life. I sat down on Charlie's lap, put my arms around his neck and hugged him tight while silent tears rolled down my face. I didn't even notice when the doorbell rang and Rosalie went to open it. I only looked up when Carlisle cleared his throat and bowed his head slightly to Charlie and he gave me a sad smile.

The whole conversation past as if it was a blur. At one point I remembered Charlie going into a rage and then he just collapsed and sat on the ground while sobbing loudly. Rosalie was the one to react then and she pulled Charlie into a hug and stroked his hair. I didn't know what to do or say. Someone had just told him that his only daughter had some sort of decease which could take her life. It was heartless and I wanted nothing more to say that I was fine, that we had lied and that everything was going to work out somehow, but I couldn't. He couldn't know about vampires because this would only put him in more danger. This was the only way, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

While I was still staring at my father who just couldn't get himself together Carlisle went to get my bag with things I might need in the hospital I wasn't even going to. 'Bella, it's time to say goodbye.' He said gravely. This snapped me out of my trance and I jumped forward and hugged my dad fiercely. Rosalie let go and she and Carlisle went into the kitchen to give us as much privacy as they could. 'Dad, I love you… never ever forget that.' I sobbed as Charlie's arms tightened around me so much that it could rival one of Emmett's bear hugs. 'I love you too, kid. I'll miss you… come back to me soon.' He whispered. I nodded, but couldn't get the confirmation across my lips. I just couldn't lie to him verbally.

The sobbing and hugging continued as I made my way outside. Carlisle and Rosalie followed us in silence and put my bags in the car without asking. With the final hug, before I would get into the car, Charlie gave me a kiss on my forehead. 'I love you, kid.' He said one final time as he took a step backwards. 'I love you too, dad.' I told him. Rosalie then opened the door and as I got in she gave Charlie a quick hug. Carlisle shook hands with Charlie and gave him a small smile before getting into the driver's seat of the Mercedes. Rosalie got in the back and with one last glance at my house and father we rode off.

I spend the rest of the day sobbing uncontrollably while Edward held me. I screamed and cried and then was silent for a couple of minutes before the screaming started again. I cursed everything and everyone and threw stuff around the room. My dad didn't deserve this. He was a good man and now he had to live through losing his only daughter. As the day went by I became more and more silent and in the end the fatigue took me under and brought me the peace of sleep.

The next few days went better and better and when an entire week had gone by Carlisle thought me ready for the change. 'You'll be fine, squirt.' Peter grinned at me. I had met Peter and Charlotte the day after I had arrived here and Peter was a lot like Emmett and Zackary so I had immediately liked him. Charlotte was more like Rosalie, but opened up to me fairly soon. She was a very caring person and I could totally see her become one of my best friends. 'I know I'll be fine, Peter… but you can't blame me for being a bit scared.' Peter just shrugged, ruffled my hair and walked out of the room. It didn't take Charlotte long to take his place next to me. 'Don't pay attention to what he says, dove. We'll all be here when you wake up.' She told me and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

They were the last two to wish me good luck and such and now I was left with only Edward, Carlisle and Jasper. The latter would be here to monitor my emotions thoroughly and make sure I wasn't in too much pain. Carlisle had also told me that Melody would be here from time to time to help Jasper as she can help him if the emotions become too much for him. I hoped that it wouldn't come to that as Carlisle was going to push as much morphine into my system as possible so that I shouldn't be able to feel anything.

Carlisle motioned for me to lie down on the bed which they had prepared for me. The bed was amazingly soft and fluffy and I could feel myself becoming drowsy just by lying down on it. 'I'll be right here with you, darling.' Edward told me as he crouched down next to me. 'I know.' I said with a smile. The smile disappeared a second later as I felt the needle, through which the morphine would be injected, go into my arm. It didn't take long for the morphine to affect me and the last thing I heard was Edward telling me that he loved me. I wanted to say something back, but was unable to do so. I let the darkness take me down, feeling totally at peace, but was pulled back to reality just a couple of seconds later by a piercing pain in my ankles. I wanted to scream out, but somehow I couldn't. Next came the same pain in my wrists and then my neck and just above my heart.

The fire that spread seemed to consume me and I lost myself in it. I wanted to move, to scream, to kick, but nothing happened. My body wouldn't respond to my commands as the fire raged through me at an alarming rate. Sometimes the pain would lessen and the part of my brain that wasn't trying to scream knew that this was because of Jasper. I thanked him silently and hoped he could at least feel my gratitude through the pain as I wasn't able to actually thank him in words.

The hours and hours of burning continued and at some point I just didn't care anymore. I didn't care whether the flames would consume me and I didn't care whether I would survive this. I only wanted the pain to stop. Of course, I got what I wished for, but not the way I thought I'd get it. The fire did seem to lessen as it travelled, very slowly, from my toes and fingers to the centre of my body. As the flames slowly started to leave my head I started to hear and smell things. I could hear two heartbeats close by, someone running downstairs, sounds of people playing videogames and then two voices who said that "she would awake soon" in perfect synchronisation.

I felt someone squeeze my hand then and I tried to squeeze back. As I had kind of expected, nothing happened, but this time it disappointed me more than it had when I wasn't able to scream or kick. This time I felt that I had to squeeze back because whoever was squeezing was very important to me. Disappointment filled me for a second, but it was quickly replaced by even more pain than I had ever experienced before. For the first time in these past few days I was able to move and move I did. I wasn't in control of my body anymore as it jerked up, down and sideways of its own accord. It was as if the rest of my body just wanted to leave my burning heart behind and run for the hills without it.

As quickly as the raging fire in my heart had started, it disappeared. I was left with a deafening silence except for the two heartbeats I could hear close by. The hearts I had heard before were now gone, but I didn't really care about that now. I had to open my eyes, I had to move, I had to do something. 'Bella?' A gorgeous voice asked. I turned my head towards the sound, but didn't open my eyes yet. Instead I bathed in the sound of that voice and the smell that came from his direction. 'Bella honey, open your eyes for me.' The voice, Edward I realised, said. I turned my head back so that I was facing the ceiling and opened my eyes to take my first glimpse of my new life.

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**Hope you liked it :) Just a few more chapters to go now!**

**Review please! ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	42. Training the newborn

**I'm so sorry for the delay in updating this story. I've been so busy with my vacation job that I didn't have time to write anymore :( But, the chapter is (finally) finished and I hope you will all enjoy it ^_^ **

**Jasper, Carlisle and Zackary POV :)**

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**Jasper POV**

I could feel the pain that was coming from Bella lessen and then increase tenfold again. I knew this would happen as it always did in the final stage of the transformation. The pain made her body jerk one way and then the other until finally her heart rested and became silent. Bella was completely still now and I knew she would open her eyes and be shocked by her first view into this new life. In a second the entire family was in the room, but all of them were standing at the door. Downstairs I could hear our extended family and the phoenixes that weren't an actual part of our family leaving the house.

Melody came to stand by my side and took my hand as we watched the still silent Bella. Out of the corner of my eye I could see both Alice and Rosalie trying to get a better look of Bella from behind their overprotective mates. Alice had a knowing grin on her face and Rosalie was looking and feeling worried. Melody, Esme and Edward mirrored that worry and I understood why. It wasn't really normal for a newborn to wait so long with getting up. Normally, and especially when the room was filled with other vampires, the newborn would wake up and take up a defensive crouch immediately. 'Bella?' Edward asked quietly. His worry increased when Bella didn't reply and I send him a bit of calming waves. 'Bella honey, open your eyes for me.' Edward asked now.

This had the effect we had been waiting for as Bella slowly but surely opened her eyes. The first emotion coming from her was confusion, but this was replaced by awe less than a second later. She reached up to catch something invisible, but quickly snapped her hand back while embarrassment became her dominant emotion. Melody giggled quietly next to me, but of course everyone in the room, including Bella, heard her. Now Bella did what every newborn would do when they sensed danger. She jumped up and moved so that her back was against the wall while she lowered herself into a low crouch. In an instant Emmett and Zackary had pushed their mates further behind them while doing their best not to crouch down as well.

'Bella… don't worry. It's me, Edward.' Edward said. Bella's head snapped to him and for a moment she growled loudly. She then caught herself and remorse filled her entire being only to be replaced by happiness a second later. This was also something that was very normal for a newborn as they weren't actually in control of their emotions. 'Edward?' Bella asked as if not sure whether he was really there. 'Yes, it's me.' Edward told her. Bella, however, didn't pay any attention to him anymore and was now holding her throat with her right hand. I was expecting to feel her thirst now, but the only thing that was coming from her at the moment was wonder. Only if I concentrated more I could feel her thirst, but she wasn't paying any attention to it at the moment. 'What's wrong, Bella?' Rosalie asked from behind Emmett.

Bella's head snapped up towards Rose and a smile appeared on her face. 'My voice… it's so… pretty.' Bella said while more wonder filled her being. Her emotions changed again then and she looked at the group in front her of her in a confused way. 'Why are you all standing there behind each other? And why are Alice and Rose hidden behind Emmett and Zackary?' she directed the last part of her question to Edward who was still standing still with his hands up. 'Bella, you're a newborn. It's only natural for Zackary and Emmett to want to protect their mates.' I explained when Edward remained quiet. 'Oh.' Was the only reply Bella gave and then she took a deep breath and her newborn senses kicked into overdrive. Her bloodlust went up rapidly, her eyes turned black and she launched herself directly at Melody and me without thinking.

I reacted in an instant and had pushed Melody behind me before Bella could come close. My dear mate, of course, had different plans. She stepped from behind me in the same second I pushed her behind me, making half a circle around me, and pushed her hand towards Bella. Bella was caught in midair by Melody's telekinetic power and flew backwards at an alarming speed. Melody reacted quickly though and stopped Bella's flight before she could hit the wall. Bella was now hanging a foot above the floor and was snarling viciously at us.

_What now?_ Melody asked only me. _I don't know. Maybe―_ I stopped midsentence as Damian had appeared at the window behind Bella. He motioned for us to open the window and luckily Melody saw him. She used her now free right hand; she was holding Bella with her left, to open the window. Damian then concentrated for a second and we could all feel the wind come from the window. Damian shot out of the way quickly so that his scent wouldn't be in the air that was now flowing into the room. Bella calmed down considerably, but her bloodlust was still the major emotion right now. 'Edward, take Bella out hunting.' Carlisle said sternly and without room for an argument. Edward nodded and at vampire speed grabbed Bella, who Melody released just in time, and jumped out of the window.

I released a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding and heard Zackary and Emmett do the same. 'Will she be okay?' Melody asked to no one in particular. 'She'll be fine after she has hunted.' Esme said though worry underlined her words. 'Let's just go downstairs for now and think of what we can do to make Bella feel more comfortable here. It won't be easy for her with all the phoenixes around.' Carlisle suggested. Everyone agreed and we were soon, once again, sitting in the living room for a family meeting.

'I can stay at La Push. That will be one phoenix less to worry about, right?' Serena offered. It wouldn't be a punishment for her to go there as her mate lived over there so no one objected to this idea. Damian soon decided that he would stay here and would just use his ability to make sure his scent couldn't reach Bella which just left Melody, Zackary and me. 'I'll just stick close to Damian.' Zackary shrugged. 'Jasper, I would like to ask you to not stay away from Bella. You are the only one who has experience with all sorts of newborns. Melody, you can stay near Jasper as I don't think you want to be away from him when he trains Bella.' Carlisle said before either Melody or I could voice our opinions. I thought about Carlisle request for a second, but soon agreed to it. He was right that I was the one who was the most qualified to train Bella and even though I was worried about Melody, I knew she could take care of herself against any vampire, even newborns.

When Edward and Bella returned over an hour later I could sense that Bella's bloodlust had dropped dramatically and that her emotions had overall settled down a bit. Carlisle, Melody and me were waiting outside for them while Damian made sure that our scents wouldn't reach Bella. She might have hunted now, but the smell of new blood could always send a newborn into a craze again. Carlisle quickly explained the plan to Edward and Bella and after some arguing, Edward agreed though he was reluctant. He didn't want his precious Bella to train already. If it was up to him he would never teach her how to fight so that she wouldn't get hurt. This, of course, was ridiculous as every vampire needed to learn how to fight in case they ran into a hostile vampire or even worse, a werewolf.

Bella on the other hand was very eager to start learning for which I was glad. It was much easier to train a willing newborn than a stubborn one. So the next day, Melody gave me a good luck kiss and flew up to sit on the roof so that she was out of harm's way, but could still see what was going on. I send Bella some calming waves before starting our lesson. I wasn't going to let her fight against anyone yet and I needed her calm enough to be able to stay focused on the theory I was about to tell her. 'Today I'm just going to tell you a few things. I can feel that you want to learn way more than that, but for now this will have to do.' Bella just nodded and looked at me expectantly.

I started with telling Bella the basics of the vampire's laws, newborns and about what it would be like to train. Bella listened intently the entire time and I was surprised that her attention wasn't dropping. Normally a newborn shouldn't be able to focus on one thing like Bella was doing now and I was about to praise her for this when Anna came bouncing towards us and distracted Bella successfully. 'Thanks Anna.' I sighed and I let my head hang a bit. 'You've been talking to her all day, Jasper. It's time to get her into a more suitable get up now and to show her what she actually looks like as she hasn't seen herself yet and she's already been a vampire for one entire day!' Anna squealed, sounding a lot like Alice. She bounded up to Bella, grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. When she passed me she stuck her tongue out and I just rolled my eyes at her. Alice really did have a bad influence on that girl.

Once they were inside Melody jumped down from the roof and gave me a small smile. 'You did great, Jasper.' She said as she hugged me. 'Yeah… now I hope that her actual training will go good as well.' I turned to Damian who was still hovering in the air and smiled. 'Thanks for the help, Damian. Can you do the same tomorrow?' 'Sure, no problem.' Damian said with a shrug. 'Let's go find something to eat, okay? I'm starving now.' And with that he landed and walked into the house without a backwards glance. I shook my head as I looked at the door. 'He's still a bit weird, isn't he?' I asked. 'Yes, but he has changed so much since he got here. I'm sure he'll be fine.' Melody said, but I could feel a bit of worry in her emotions.

**Carlisle POV**

As Jasper started training I went to find Alice. I had hoped to talk to Serena as well, but she was at La Push and I didn't really want to bother her there. Luckily I didn't have to look for Alice long as she came dancing towards me with Eleazar right behind her. 'I saw that you needed both me and Eleazar so I thought I'd just bring him with me.' Alice said with a smile. 'Thanks Alice. Yes I wanted to talk to both of you about Bella and how she might help during the fight.' Both of them nodded and I lead them outside and into the forest. 'We'll have to go a bit further from the house so that we won't be overheard. I don't want the other to know all of this just yet as we can only really speculate at the moment.' Alice and Eleazar nodded in understanding and we started running away from the house and deeper into the forest.

We ran for about fifteen minutes before I could be sure that no one else could hear us. 'Well Carlisle, what is this about?' Eleazar asked while Alice had her all knowing look in her eyes. 'I was wondering if Bella has any kind of gift. She is supposed to be the key to a victory for our side and I'm guessing it's not just because she'll be a good fighter. I'm guessing there's something special about her, but I just don't know what.' I explained. 'Ah yes, I've been keeping an eye on Bella ever since she woke up and there does seem to be something though I can't pinpoint it yet.' Eleazar said.

I nodded and turned to Alice who was waiting quietly. 'Alice, have you seen anything new about the fight? Anything that Bella does to ensure our victory?' 'I've seen glimpses of the fight, but nothing that might help us. It does seem that our powers work on the phoenixes which might mean that they're not as immune to them as we thought.' Alice mused. I nodded and started thinking about this. Bella had to be important in the battle otherwise the visions Alice had been having wouldn't have changed to our side winning after we decided to change her. On the other hand we didn't know what it was that would help us. Bella was too new to this life to know whether she had a gift let alone how she could use it.

'I think the best way to find out whether Bella has a gift is for me to stay close to her.' Eleazar finally said. 'Yes, I do believe that's the best and only option at the moment. Alice, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you focus on Bella's training and see if you might be able to see Bella use her gift in the future?' I asked my daughter. 'I'll try, though I can't promise you that I'll see anything. Other visions might interrupt my concentration or I just might not be able to see anything.' Alice said with a bit of frustration in her voice. 'I'll call Serena and ask her to do the same. We need to know in what way Bella can change the future so drastically.' I said.

At that moment both Edward's and Bella's scents came towards us and the three of us braced ourselves. Even though we knew that neither of them would hurt us, Bella was still a newborn and they were very unpredictable. I listened intently as the sounds of running vampires came closer and could quickly see Edward and Bella racing towards us. It was funny to see that Edward had to do his best for once as Bella was faster than him with her newborn strength. Bella was smiling from ear to ear as she came running towards us and I could tell that she had hunted. No newborn would look that carefree without having gone hunting.

'Hi guys, what are you doing here?' Bella asked as she came to an instant stop in front of us. 'We were just discussing a couple of things, young one.' Eleazar said with a kind smile. 'About…?' Bella cocked her head to the side and looked from Eleazar to me and back. I chuckled and took a step towards my newest daughter. 'We were discussing what it is about you that can change the future so much. There has to be something and I was wondering whether Alice had seen something yet and if Eleazar could see if you have any gift.' Bella quirked one of her eyebrows at me and I quickly explained. 'Eleazar has a gift that allows him to see the gifts of other vampires. He won't be able to tell what a gift does exactly, but he can tell what kind of gift it might be.'

'Do you have any ideas, Eleazar?' Edward asked. 'Not yet, I'll have to spend some time near Bella to be sure of what kind of gift she has. Would it bother you if I came to watch your training with Jasper, young one? It would give me the opportunity to find out your gift faster, for I know you have one.' 'Sure, no problem.' Bella said with a bright smile. 'How was your first training, Bella?' Alice asked then and I had to admit that I was curious as well. I would have wanted to be there when she had her training, but this conversation had been necessary as well. 'It was great! Jasper explained all these different things about newborns, fighting, gifts, the wolfs and phoenixes. Next we'll do some actual fighting training,' Edward growled his discomfort about this, 'even though Edward doesn't like it.' Bella finished with a glare at her mate.

Alice then decided that it was time to take the conversation to less serious things. 'Bella, did you take a look at yourself in the mirror yet? And who dressed you? You look great!' 'Easy Alice, you have to give me time to answer.' Bella giggled. 'Yes, I've seen myself in the mirror and I have to admit that it shocked me. I never thought I could look this… beautiful.' Alice grinned from ear to ear now and I could tell that she had a hard time keeping quiet. 'Anna was the one who dragged me inside and dressed me and I have to admit that I like this dress though I lost the death trap shoes about ten minutes ago.' Alice gasped in shock and looked at Bella as if she had just committed the most horrific crime. 'You lost your shoes?' Alice spluttered. Bella just shrugged and stepped back into Edward's arms. 'Let's just head back for now. Bella, please tell Eleazar everything that happens during your training which may help him figure out your gift.' I told Bella.

Bella nodded and we all started running back towards the house while Alice kept her eyes and future sight out for Bella's lost shoes. When we were almost back at the house she took a sharp turn to the left and raced off only to return a second later. She was holding a pair of shoes with such high heels that I could understand why Bella had taken them off. 'Bella, you should never throw away shoes like that.' Alice said with a stern voice. 'Those aren't shoes, those are death traps and I'm not wearing those or anything like it.' Bella stated. Edward tried to hide his amusement while Alice could only stare at Bella as if she had just been told that fashion was something overrated.

Alice kept staring for a couple of seconds before huffing loudly and walking towards the house without a backwards glance. Bella turned towards Edward and then to me with a questioning look in her eyes. 'Don't worry, Bella. She'll get over this in no time.' I told my daughter. Bella nodded and walked towards the house with Edward who was holding her hand lovingly. 'She's a strong one, old friend.' Eleazar said quietly so that the others wouldn't hear. 'Yes, she has adapted to this life faster than any of us would have thought possible.' I whispered as I watched my youngest daughter interact with the rest of the family. Everything seemed so peaceful, but that wouldn't last. We had to find out what Bella can do to save us from certain death.

**Zackary POV**

Bella had been training for a little more than a week now and things were improving. Her fighting style was still a bit rough, but she didn't always go for 'the obvious kill' as Jasper called it. The only time she did this was when the fight went on for too long and her excitement got the better of her. Alice was very proud of her best friend and it was good to see her smile again for once. She had been so down lately because of her visions that I had a hard time cheering her up.

I watched a lot of Bella's training from my spot on the roof next to Melody. My baby sister had told me that this was a safe place to sit and us phoenixes had kind of made it our spot from then on. Today it was Melody, Damian, Serena and myself who were watching the happenings from above. Serena hadn't been here all week, but as Paul was on duty today she had decided it was time to pay us a visit. I had rolled my eyes when she told us, but was happy to have her back for a bit. She might not be the greatest person to be around, but I had known her the longest of everyone here and that somehow created a bond that neither of us really understood.

Damian was concentrating lightly on the direction of the wind while he was talking with Melody about some movie they saw recently. I had skipped that movie to have some alone time with my mate and… well… let's just say that it was a night to remember. 'Zackary, stop emitting so much lust.' Jasper and Melody growled at me at the same time. I looked from one to the other and back and just smirked. 'I can't help it when I think of― 'Zackary! I seriously don't want to know.' Melody cried. 'Fine, whatever you want, little sis.' I chuckled and ruffled her hair.

Melody smacked my hand away, but didn't look at me. Instead she looked at the ground where Bella was trying to win a play fight against Garret. The newborn wasn't doing well at all as Garret was a little harder to beat than Emmett, who she had been fighting the past week. Emmett was a bit like a newborn himself when it came to fighting. He loved taking his enemies head on and this was just what newborns did best. As Bella was stronger and faster than an older vampire she had gotten the upper hand on Emmett several times now which was why Jasper wanted her to fight someone else. Garret wasn't giving her anything and fought as if it was for real, though he kept a smile in place all the time. He was really enjoying this and I could tell Bella was too as this was a new challenge for her.

Eleazar was once again watching from the sidelines. His eyes were on Bella at all times and he didn't even look up when Carmen came to stand next to him. All he did was reach out to hold her hand. I didn't understand this at all. If Alice would come to stand behind me or next to me I would look at her, kiss her, hold her… you know, all the stuff a mate is supposed to do. Carmen however seemed to understand and kissed her husband's cheek before going back into the house where she helped Esme with today's dinner.

'Anything new?' I asked as I sensed Alice coming towards us. She sat down next to me with a loud sigh and rested her head just below my shoulder. I put my arm around her and pulled her close while planting a soft kiss on her hair. 'It's so frustrating. I keep seeing parts of the battle, but it's confusing. In some visions we're winning, in some it's a draw and in some we're still losing.' Alice sighed in frustration. 'And the endings?' Melody asked without looking away from what was happening on the ground. 'An extra ending has been added. It's now us losing, us winning and us winning, but with some of us injured and some of us not even there.' Alice shivered a bit and I pulled her closer because of it.

'This isn't going to work, Bella.' Alice said quietly after a few seconds of silence and I turned by attention back to the ground to see that Bella had finally gotten the upper hand on Garret. I was wondering why Alice had said that this wasn't going to work when Garret twisted himself the other way and got lose in less than a second. Bella was taken by surprise by this and didn't have enough time to react when Garret's fist came flying towards her. He didn't use a lot of strength, but Bella did fly backwards quite a bit before she could bring herself to a stop.

This continued on like this for quite a while and it was funny to see how Bella tried to avoid getting hit. I was so focussed on the training that I didn't notice Melody shifting uncomfortably next to me until she stood up all of a sudden. 'Jasper, get out of there!' she yelled with a lot of anger in her voice that made me cringe. Jasper however didn't cringe and just flew upwards. He hovered in the air and I was about to ask what was going on when I noticed a change in Bella. Her eyes were blazing and there was a crazed look in them. I now understood why Melody had sounded so angry when she told Jasper to get out of there. Bella was angry and crazed because of Garret and those emotions got to Melody through Jasper. It wasn't safe for Jasper to stay on the ground now as we didn't know what Bella could do when she was in this state of mind.

Garret was more guarded as well and I could practically see him calculating the best plan of action in this situation. Eleazar on the other hand was looking overly excited at Bella as if he was expecting something big to happen. Edward was looking very anxious from Bella to Garret and back apparently without knowing what to do about the situation. 'Bella!' Alice gasped in shock and I looked at my mate to see her face light up with a victorious smile.

I looked back to the play fight and saw that Bella was now walking very slowly towards Garret in a way I had never seen a vampire do. Her eyes had turned to an even brighter red and it was as if some kind of force was emitting from her, forming a bubble around her. The bubble was expending with every step she took until it enveloped Edward. The next person it got to was Eleazar and I was expecting that the bubble would envelope him as well, but something completely different happened. The bubble pushed Eleazar back with a force that made the vampire fly backwards and into a nearby tree, causing it to snap in half.

Jasper turned around and motioned for us to get off the roof. We did so immediately and flew up to where Jasper was. He had gone further up as well as the bubble below was still expanding both sideways and up. I watched as the bubble finally reached Garret and was amazed by the force with which it hit him. The poor guy flew backwards way harder and faster than Eleazar had done and within a second he had reached and flown through the house. The glass wall, which was on this side of the house, was shattered and I could hear the shocked gasps of the people inside as Garret flashed passed them. 'That's enough.' Jasper murmured and I looked at him to see that he was looking at Bella intently. Melody was holding his hand and looked like she was concentrating. I looked back at Bella and saw that her eyes were less bright now and the bubble she had created was becoming smaller.

Edward had also moved closer to his mate and as he saw that she was calming down he put his arms around her and let out a sigh in relief. 'That was wonderful, Bella.' Eleazar cried happily as he came walking up to the hugging couple. Edward's first reaction was to spin Bella behind him and growl menacingly at the happy vampire. Eleazar stopped immediately and held up his hands while glancing at Jasper who sighed and flew down. _Let's follow._ Alice said to only me as Melody flew down after her mate.

As we landed Jasper was having a whispered conversation with Eleazar, Edward and Bella about what had happened. 'This wasn't my idea! Eleazar was the one who wanted to do this and I only agreed extremely reluctantly!' Jasper hissed in anger to an even angrier Edward. 'You put my mate and everyone on danger. Don't _ever_ do that again!' Edward hissed back. 'Edward, don't be mad. Even though they didn't tell us it did work. I have a shield.' Bella whispered happily though she became quiet again as Edward only growled softly and pulled her closer. 'It was my plan to see if my theory was correct, that's all. If Garret hadn't pushed Bella like that this wouldn't have happened and we would still me trying to find out what was going on.' Eleazar explained. 'I don't― 'Aargh!'

We all spun around to see a thoroughly pissed off Esme standing in the house, looking at where her glass window had once been. 'I can't believe you are all discussing a stupid plan when this,' Esme motioned to the now gaping hole in her wall, 'has happened to my house!' she screeched the last part which made us all cringe. I felt horrible for some reason and I hadn't even done something so I couldn't even begin to imagine how bad Jasper and Eleazar would feel. 'And you,' Esme spun around to Garret who was trying to sneak past her,' are in as much trouble as them.' She pointed to Eleazar and Jasper who both cringed again. Alice started laughing, but soon gasped as she was pulled into a vision.

_Bella was training hard on her shield with both Emmett and Garret who were attacking her together. Neither of them could get to her and Bella was looking really smug about it. Next was Kate who tried to shock her, but that didn't work either. This surprised me as Bella's physical bubble wasn't active and still Kate couldn't do anything. _

_The scene changed and this time us phoenixes were training under the watchful eye of Jasper and me. We were both training as well, but as we had way more experience than the others we were mostly watching and giving tips. Melody was working with Damian to learn how to control their fire better while Serena was flying at full speed and avoiding things that Paul was throwing at her. 'Can I join in?' Benjamin asked as he, Tia and Bella came walking towards us. 'Sure, but don't try and take control of my fire again. It's not going to work and you know it.' Damian answered with a smirk. 'It can't hurt to try.' Benjamin shrugged and he started concentrating on the violet fire that was Damian's. Bella looked at Benjamin with fascination and to the surprise of everyone, Benjamin took control of Damian's fire. He pulled the ball of fire towards himself and just stared at it._

The vision ended here and I blinked a couple of times as I reflected on what I had seen. While the vision had been going on the others who were at the house had gathered around us and were looking at Alice and me. 'Alice, what did you see?' Carlisle asked. As Alice told the others what the vision had been about they all gasped. 'So… I have some other kind of power beside the physical shield?' Bella finally asked. 'It seems that way, but what I find most interesting is that somehow Benjamin had taken control of Damian's fire.' Carlisle mused. 'I guess we'll have to wait for that part of the vision until the Egyptian coven is here.'

We all nodded and slowly we each went our own way. Alice and I decided that we would fly for a bit as we had been at the house all day. The last thing I heard while we were already flying up was Esme telling Garret, Eleazar and Jasper that they were definitely not getting away with destroying the glass wall. Alice and I laughed at this, but soon became silent again as the sounds of our family faded. 'I wander what will happen that will enable Benjamin to control phoenix fire. If this will be a permanent thing then our chances of victory will have increased a great deal.' Alice mused out loud after a while. I tightened my grip around her waist. 'Yeah, it would certainly tip the battle into our favour.'

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**Let me know what you think ^_^**

**I think it will be two or three more chapters until the end of the story :)**

**~Marieke~**


	43. Shield

**This time Melody, Jasper and Bella POV**

**Enjoy ^_^**

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**Melody POV**

As the days went by Bella got better and better at her training and at controlling her bloodlust. She could now be around us phoenixes without too much trouble which meant that Damian got a break from controlling the wind. Bella had been working on her physical shield as well and was now able to control it up to the point where she could consciously choose who she wanted to shield and who she wanted to push away. Normally Emmett and Zackary were the ones being pushed away, but that was mostly because they liked being thrown into the air. I don't think I'll ever understand my brothers.

The mental shield was an entirely different problem. Bella might have good control over het physical shield, but her mental shield still needed a lot of work. Kate was the one who was training with Bella, but as of yet it didn't have any results. Bella was able to shield herself, but had no idea how to push her shield outward and thus shield others. A lot of different strategies had already been used, but nothing seemed to work. The only thing that had worked a little bit was the thought of Kate hurting Edward. Bella had been able to push her mental shield out a little bit and Edward hadn't felt Kate's attack for about a second before the shield snapped back and Edward was once again zapped.

While Bella was training her shields, Jasper decided it was time to visit La Push with Zackary and tell the wolfs what they could expect in the upcoming fight. The wolfs were all very excited to learn everything they could about their new enemy and were willing to learn from Jasper and Zack. It was funny to see that the hostility towards my mate had completely vanished now. When we had been training for the fight against the newborns all the wolfs had been hostile towards Jasper as he was still a vampire back then, but that had all changed. Some of the guys were even apologising to Jasper for their previous behaviour which caused Serena and me to go into a fit of laughter every time this happened.

When she wasn't laughing with me, Serena paid close attention to everything Jasper and Zackary were telling the wolfs. Jasper and Zackary couldn't stay with the wolfs all the time as our vampire friends would soon arrive so Serena did her best to memorise everything so that she could teach the wolfs as well. I knew that all the phoenixes, including Jasper and myself, were worried about so many human drinking vampires coming to this place, but we all knew that we had no choice. We needed their help if we wanted to defeat my dear uncle.

The first vampires to arrive, aside from Peter and Charlotte, were the members of the Amazon coven. They arrived in the evening and were surprised by the amount of vampires who were now living at our house. They were also very interested in seeing the phoenixes as none of us had gone with Rosalie and Emmett to ask for their help. Zafrina spend the better part of two hours examining both Jasper and me from every angle possible before she was satisfied… or got bored. Either way she left us alone then which was a relief. I might be used to having my family around me, but having human drinking vampires I don't know be so close for such a long time wasn't something I enjoyed. Jasper was feeling a lot of discomfort too and it was amazing to see the change he had gone through when it came to vampires. His phoenix instincts took over every time one of the Amazon vampires got near him.

A good thing about the Amazon coven was that Zafrina was gifted and could help Bella with her mental shield training. Zafrina could distort your vision by showing you what she wanted you to see and it worked on all the vampires except for Bella. This caused Eleazar to become extremely happy and he almost begged Zafrina to help with Bella's training. Edward was really relieved as well. He really loved Bella, but the constant zapping that Kate gave him was starting to take its toll. I could feel his anger towards Kate every time she zapped him and Bella was feeling guilty every time she couldn't shield her mate. Jasper was having a hard time with it too as he was feeling everything first hand and he felt like it was his fault as he was the one training Bella.

Next to arrive were the ones we had all been waiting for, the Egyptian coven. As everyone introduced themselves I immediately decided that I didn't like the leader of that coven. Amun was distant and it seemed he was only there to ensure that he himself and his mate survived. He didn't really seem to care about Benjamin and Tia let alone any of us. Carlisle welcomed the coven with open arms and told them that they could stay here if they wanted to. Amun, however, had a different idea. He had rented a cottage close to Forks and was planning on staying there until they were needed for training and, eventually, the final battle.

Benjamin and Tia immediately rebelled against this idea and to Amun's dismay they decided to stay with us for the duration of their stay. Amun grumbled something about Carlisle better not stealing his prized possession before going away and only leaving a prepaid cell phone number behind. 'Doesn't it bother you that Amun refers to you as his "prized possession"?' I asked as I watched Amun and Kebi disappear into the forest. Benjamin just shrugged, 'Not really. He's been calling me that since before I was turned so I've gotten used to it.' 'So where do we go for training?' Tia asked happily. 'Oh, just find Jasper and Zackary. They'll tell you what you can do.' I told them.

As the two of them went to look for Jasper and Zack, Eleazar came to stand next to me. I shuddered involuntarily at this like I always did when he came too close. I didn't have any problems with the other Denali members, but Eleazar gave me the creeps for some reason. He was just too interested in gifts and didn't really see or understand the person that had the gift. This made him kind of unsocial every now and then and I felt as if we were all experiments instead of living people. 'This is all very excited, isn't it?' Eleazar said in his happy voice. He only used that voice when something new was going to happen with a gift and it made me shudder a little more. 'What is so exciting?' I asked when the shuddering had stopped. 'Well, young Benjamin is here now so we can see what the next part of the vision is all about.' Eleazar almost chirped. 'I guess so.' I muttered more to myself than to him. I might not really like him, but he did have a point.

**Jasper POV**

I hadn't trained so many people at once since I've left Maria's army. It did help a lot that this time I wasn't training a horde of bloodthirsty newborns, but civilised vampires who could use their brain properly. The only real newborn I had to deal with was Bella and she was doing remarkably well. Anna and Riley were both still in the newborn stage as well, but as they were a little older and constantly surrounded by older vampires they learned quickly. Both of them were doing great with the vegetarian diet and their fighting style had improved a lot as well.

The Denali's knew a lot about fighting already so all they had to learn was how to fight phoenixes. As I didn't have any experience with that I left that part to Zackary. The others of my vampire family all knew how to fight as well, so they soon joined the Denali's in their training with Zackary. The only one who wasn't really training himself was Eleazar as he wanted to watch Bella's training closely. I had to admit that Bella was doing very well with her shield training, especially now that she wasn't putting her energy into worrying about whether Edward was going to get hurt. Zafrina just showed pictures to whoever was helping Bella and she would then try and shield that person from seeing the pictures.

Benjamin and Tia were in my primary group as well. They might not be newborns, but Amun had been in hiding with them for so long that they didn't know the first thing about fighting. As Benjamin was gifted he could fight with that, but Tia didn't have any gift and had to learn how to fight normally. Having Benjamin around did help a lot with the training. He could shoot rocks at people with amazing precision which made for a great evasion exercise. When every one of the beginners' team could do that he began moving the rocks around and letting them fly in from different angles. This meant that everyone had to pay close attention to where the rocks were going and where they had to jump as they might crash into each other.

This went on for about a week when the Irish coven appeared on our doorstep. They were happy to see everyone and more than eager to start with their training. It was amazing to see so many vampires interact and work with phoenixes. This had never happened before and I was sure that it would never happen again on this scale. We were working together for a common goal and after that we would all go our own way.

After two weeks of constant training everyone knew the basics and I was finally free to do some training of my own. I didn't really need to learn how to fight so instead I focussed on controlling my flying better. I wasn't bad at flying, but there was still a lot I could learn about flying and fighting at the same time. In the end I asked Benjamin to help me and he agreed eagerly. We started off the same as with the vampire training. Benjamin would shoot rocks of various sizes at me and I would avoid them. I then asked Zackary to help me with the actual fighting in the air.

This proved to be more difficult than I thought, but on the other hand, Zackary didn't really make it easy for me either. He treated me like an actual enemy and I had the bruises to prove it at the end of the day. 'Zack, couldn't you be a little more gentle with Jasper?' Melody asked indignantly as we finally came down for dinner. 'He isn't going to learn anything if I just pet him, Mel. He needs to learn how to fight like a phoenix!' Zack boasted. He then grabbed Melody in a headlock and dragged her off her chair. 'And so do you, little sis.' He added while ruffling Melody's hair with his knuckles. 'Zack… stop… it…' Melody growled as she was struggling to get free.

Zackary let go of Mel just before she could use her power on him and sat down at the table where he dug into his food like a maniac. Melody grumbled something about brothers that are supposed to be nice to little sisters as she sat down again as well. I was about to sit down when Zack shot up and yelped in pain. He was massaging his right leg with his hand and glaring at Melody who was pretending not to know what was going on. I was wondering what exactly she had done when I saw that my fork was missing. _You used my fork to stab your brother? _I asked. _He asked for it._ Melody huffed.

Of course Zackary wasn't going to leave it at this. He picked up his plate of food faster than I had ever seen him do anything and threw it towards Melody. The plate had an amazing speed, but Melody was just a little bit faster. She redirected the plate, but didn't have enough time to give it an accurate destination. I felt my eyes grow wide as the plate flew directly towards Rosalie who had just come through the door. 'Rose watch― My cry was lost as the plate of warm food hit Rosalie at full speed. The spaghetti that was supposed to be eaten dripped down Rosalie's face and was stuck in her hair. To say that she looked pissed off would be an understatement. Luckily for both Zackary and Melody it was Esme who started the yelling.

'Zackary! Melody! How can you act so childish?' Esme shrieked as she came stalking into the dining room. She was still wearing an apron from when she had been cooking and I could smell soap on it. She had obviously been doing the dishes when the food throwing had started. Both Melody and her brother turned bright red and found their feet extremely interesting all of a sudden. 'What do you have to say for yourselves?' Esme demanded angrily. 'I'm sorry.' Both of them mumbled while still looking at their feet. 'You will both apologize to Rosalie and then go to your rooms until at least tomorrow.' With that Esme turned around and walked back into the kitchen. Melody and Zack both looked at each other before turning to Rosalie who was emitting a lot of anger at the moment. I knew Melody could feel this through our link and she felt horrible about it. 'I'm sorry, Rose.' Mel whispered sadly.

Rose her expression softened a bit as she saw how guilty Melody was feeling. 'I'm not going to say that it's okay, but I think I'll be able to forgive you, sis.' She said. Her anger was ebbing away a bit and I saw Melody relax a little as she felt this too. Zackary mumbled a quick sorry as well and Rose dismissed him in about the same manner she had dismissed Melody though she was emitting more anger towards Zack. Both the phoenixes retreated upstairs without a backwards glance and the doors of their rooms closed a few seconds later.

**Bella POV**

After the whole food throwing thing both Zackary and Melody had to stay in their room for an entire day. I had never seen Esme become angry like this before, but then again, she was a mother and they tend to do that every now and then. I could tell that Jasper was conversing with Melody the entire time she was in her room and sometimes this distracted him so much that Damian and Serena could get the upper hand in their flight training.

'Bella, focus.' Zafrina said and I turned my eyes back to her. I had been so focussed on the training in the sky that I had completely forgotten about my shield. I could now see that I had failed completely with it as Tanya, Irina, Riley and Anna were all staring off into space with a goofy grin on their faces. 'I'm sorry.' I mumbled and started concentrating on my mental shield again. While I was doing this an annoying voice in the back of my head kept telling me that it would be so much easier to just use my physical shield and throw Zafrina away. That way I would break her concentration which would mean the others would be fine. It would also mean I could get the upper hand over Zafrina as I could pin her to a tree or something by using my shield in the right way.

My physical shield had become much stronger over the past few weeks, but my mental shield still needed a lot of work. I could expand it a bit, but it wasn't the same as with my physical shield. My mental shield felt as if it was made of rubber and it didn't want to be stretched too far from me. Every time I tried I would feel it stretch, but the moment I realised this it snapped back in place. Both Kate and Zafrina did say I was doing better and better with each passing day, but I still felt like a failure when it came to this. My other skills had improved though and I was now much better at fighting and could win from Emmett and even Garret from time to time.

Eleazar was overly happy already with my improvement, but I knew that everyone was waiting for something special to happen. Of course I remembered what Alice had told us about her vision, but I had no idea how to make the phoenix fire come into Benjamin's control. Lucky for me I didn't have to think about that just yet. In the vision both Zackary and Melody had been outside and as they were still grounded for half a day the vision wouldn't happen today.

'Bella… focus.' Zafrina said with a sigh. I looked at her with a guilty grin and tried my shield again. This time I was able to stretch it as far as Irina before is shot back towards myself. 'Well done. Now, try again and really focus this time. Just think about what might happen if you don't master this.' Kate suggested and I nodded. Zafrina once again did her thing and everyone I was supposed to protect was once again in a trance. I took a deep breath and concentrated on what I had to do. Kate was right, I had to focus and master this as it might just be the one thing that could ensure us our victory. With that thought in mind I managed to get Tanya, Irina and Riley under my shield before I was distracted by a shout from Zackary and the shield snapped back.

'Free at last!' Zackary whooped from his window on the second floor. I looked up just in time to see him jumping out and flying up into the air. He was closely followed by a more timid Melody who jumped up from her own window and flew towards Jasper. 'You let them out way to early.' Rosalie huffed from inside and I couldn't help but giggle. I should have known Esme couldn't stay mad at any of us for so long, but apparently Rosalie didn't agree with that. 'Rose, they've stayed in their room for half of the day without complaining so I figured that this was long enough. 'And I guess we're done for the day.' Kate sighed. I snapped my attention back to her, but she shook her head. 'It's okay. You've done very well today and you've earned a bit of free time.' Kate winked at me and went to find her husband as Zafrina stopped her power and let the others come back to our reality.

I smiled happily as I ran off to find Edward. I found him training with Carlisle, Peter and Charlotte. Jasper's friends were both very good fighters and they had the scars to prove it. Edward had already told me that both he and Carlisle could learn a great deal from these two and this was the reason they had been training together so much.

'Hey love, did your training go well?' Edward greeted me as I hugged him tight. 'Yep, I could expand my mental shield further than before. Kate and Zafrina both gave me a compliment.' I told Edward proudly. This caused my mate to chuckle and kiss my head which made me feel all fuzzy inside. 'Are you guys done training yet?' I asked no one in particular. 'Not yet, dove. I'm afraid we'll be needing your mate for a little while longer.' Charlotte told me with the sweetest smile on her face. 'Yeah, sorry squirt.' Peter said. He walked up to me, ruffled my hair and pulled me away from Edward in one motion.

I sighed, but knew that fighting Peter and Charlotte on this one was futile so instead I said my goodbye and left them to their training. I hadn't even taken five steps though when someone called my name from somewhere to my left. 'Bella! Let's go check out the phoenix training. They're all together now so I'm hoping to see some serious fire power.' An overly happy Benjamin said as he and Tia came running towards me. 'Are you serious? I'd love to see that!' I had been so busy with my own training that I had seen very little of the phoenix training that had been going on at the same time. I had only seen bits of flight training, but that was about it.

We walked towards the phoenix training spot at a normal human pace as we didn't want to startle them. I had seen Garret trying to spook Damian once before and that almost ended in a barbequed Garret. As it turned out we were right in walking at a slow pace. Both Melody and Damian were using their fire and if we scared either of them the reaction would result in our timely demise. I looked up to see Serena flying at an alarming speed while Paul was standing on the ground, throwing objects at her. It was fun to see that Paul was enjoying himself and looked totally relaxed among us all. I guess that as long as there were phoenixes around he felt comfortable too.

'Can I join in?' Benjamin asked as we came closer to Melody and Damian. They both looked up and Damian smirked at Benjamin. 'Sure, but don't try and take control of my fire again. It's not going to work and you know it.' Damian answered. Benjamin shrugged in a way that said "challenge accepted" and started concentrating on the violet fire that was hovering in midair. Melody extinguished her fire and watched Benjamin as he remained completely focussed. I copied her and wondered whether Benjamin could actually do it. At some point I even wanted him to do it as it would be a great advantage if Benjamin could control the phoenix fire.

Shock radiated through me then as what I had wished for actually came true. One moment the violet fire was hovering in front of Damian, the next thing I knew, Benjamin was holding said fire in the palm of his hand. Everyone had become quiet all of a sudden and shock registered in everyone's eyes. 'Ben… how?' Tia asked in a whisper that we could all hear. 'I don't know…' Was all Benjamin could say. 'I believe I might be able to help you there.' Eleazar said from behind me, making me jump up. 'What do you mean?' Zackary asked as he and Jasper came walking towards us. 'Well, I believe young Bella here is what happened. Bella dear, you've used your mental shield on Benjamin thus making him able to use the phoenix fire. I'm pretty sure that now other vampire powers also work on our feathered friends.' Eleazar explained.

I immediately started searching for my shield and the moment I did I felt it snap back. The result was Benjamin losing control of the fire and if it hadn't been for Damian's fast reaction it would have burned Benjamin alive. 'I guess that explains why you were the key to change the visions.' Jasper said in awe. 'I guess so… but I don't have any control over my mental shield. How will that help in the battle?' I was beginning to panic now. Everything depended on me mastering my mental shield and I had no idea how I was going to do this. When I voiced this concern out loud the answer came from a direction I had not expected. 'Maybe we can help?' a soft female voice asked from behind me.

I spun around to see about a dozen vampires with ruby eyes and dark cloaks standing in front of me. 'The Volturi.' Jasper all but growled. 'It's good to see you too, Jasper. Now tell me, where is my dear friend Carlisle?' The black cloaked vampire who stood in the middle asked. 'He's training with Edward, Peter and Charlotte, but I'm sure that he already knows you're here.' Jasper replied stiffly while pulling Melody close to him. 'Ah yes, the mind reader. Well, let's go and greet him, shall we?' and without waiting for an answer he walked off into the direction where Carlisle and Edward were.

I had expected the rest of the cloaked figures to follow him, but only the two who were standing next to him followed. The others remained where they were and didn't say anything. I was about to ask whether they needed anything when the smallest of the lot walked towards me. I immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, which made the vampire stop. 'Don't worry, I won't hurt you.' The same soft female voice from before said. The vampire lowered her hood then to reveal a petite female vampire with the physical appearance of a sixteen year old. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun at the back of her neck and she had a soft smile on her face.

'My name is Jane and this,' she motioned towards another small, cloaked vampire, 'is my twin brother Alec.' The other short vampire lowered his hood to reveal a boy with the same hair colour as his sister. His features were roughly the same as Jane's, but it was apparent that puberty had started before he got changed. 'We can help you with your mental shield if you want.' Jane continued. I turned my attention back to her and gave her a questioning look. 'I see you don't understand what I mean. Let me show you.' Jane turned around and motioned for one of the bigger vampires to come forward. The vampire lowered his hood and came to stand in front of Jane though he didn't look all too happy about it.

Jane's soft smile turned into a grin as she concentrated on the big guy in front of her. To my surprise the big vampire crumbled before my eyes and started twitching on the ground. He didn't let a sound escape his lips, but I could tell that he was in a lot of pain. The moment I thought this the twitching stopped for some reason and I wanted to thank Jane for stopping with whatever she had been doing. Jane however was still concentrating on the big vampire and looked frustrated now. She then sighed and turned towards me. 'Well done, young one.' She praised me. 'What did I… ?' I stopped my sentence there as the part of my brain that was my mental shield snapped back in place. 'Did I just shield your friend?' I asked. Jane just nodded and once again smiled her soft smile.

'Let me introduce you to Felix,' Jane motioned to the big vampire she had just been torturing, 'and Demetri.' With the last name another member of the black cloaks removed his hood to reveal a young man with ruby eyes who nodded his head in acknowledgement to the introduction. 'The others are for Aro to introduce.' Jane stated and with a wave of her hand she dismissed the remaining members. I was curious as to who were under the other hoods, but apparently that was going to be a mystery for a the time being. 'Shall we start?' Jane asked me and I could only nod. This petite vampire apparently had a lot of power within the Volturi and I was glad she was on our side.

The training with Jane and Alec worked a lot more effective than the training with Zafrina and Kate. This was due to the fact that both Jane and Alec didn't mind pulling out all the stops which made my desire to protect the ones I love burst out, causing my mental shield to fly away from me in the same way my physical shield did. Pretty soon I was able to project a couple of yards without the shield snapping back when I didn't want it to. Everyone was very pleased with my progress and even the more timid Volturi members, who Aro had indeed introduced a few hours after Jane had introduced herself, were looking happy with what I could do.

Next came the training with the phoenixes. This scared me a little for if it went wrong the phoenixes could toast any of us in an instant. I first trained with Damian, Serena and Benjamin. With this training it was my job to keep Benjamin shielded while he tried to take control of Damian and Serena's powers. Serena kept bouncing a fireball between her hands as if it was a tennis ball while Damian worked the weather so that an air current was moving around him at a swift pace. Benjamin first concentrated on Serena's light blue fire. This time it took far less time for him to take control of the fire and he let it float above his hand with a wide grin on his face. 'Nicely done.' Serena praised him as Benjamin gave the fire back to its owner.

Benjamin grinned at her, but became serious again as he turned his attention to the wind that was circling around Damian. I looked in awe as Benjamin put his arm into the air in a lightning fast motion and saw that the wind followed his movement. Damian relaxed a bit after this happened and smiled to Benjamin who was grinning from ear to ear now. 'I guess our abilities aren't safe anymore with you around, Bella.' Damian said a bit amused. 'I guess not.' I said with a grin.

Next came the training which I dreaded a bit more. Zafrina or Alec, depended on who was around, would try and take the senses away from whichever phoenix was helping me. The first time Alec used his power on Damian, the phoenix lost it completely. He started flailing his arms in random directions and at some point he even started using his fire. That is when I retracted the shield from Alec which meant Damian got his sensed back. He immediately pulled his fire back and looked around him in bewilderment. 'I've never seen anyone do what you did just now while under the influence of my power.' Alec said in awe. Damian answered with a guilty grin and a shrug, but didn't comment.

The last piece of training I had to do was the worst of all. This was the training where I would use my shield to make sure that both Kate's and Jane's power would work on the phoenixes. I knew it would be very useful in the upcoming battle, but now it meant that they were going to hurt my friends. Kate started and I had to remind myself that this was for the good of everyone and that both Zackary and Jasper had volunteered for this. As I enclosed Kate in my shield Zackary fell to the ground twitching as I had seen Edward and Garret do before.

I let out a sigh in relief when Kate let Zackary get back up again. My relief was short lived though as it was now Jane's turn. The petite vampire went to stand opposite Jasper and gave him an apologetic smile. Melody was being held tight by her brother now as she braced herself for the pain that she would feel through her link with her mate. I really hated doing this and I whispered a quick sorry to everyone before throwing out my shield again.

The effect was instant as Jasper sank to the floor in agony while Melody started twitching in Zackary's arms at the same time. I retracted my shield immediately which luckily reversed what had happened instantly. I felt horrible about what had happened, but on the other hand I felt great. The fact that I could help so that the battle would become more even, meant that I could be useful for the first time in my life! Edward would get his wish of not having me in the middle of the fighting and I could help wherever I could from a distance. I just hoped that this would be enough for us to win against whatever army that so-called Master had assembled.

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**So, this was the last chapter before we go to the battle. Review and let me know what you think! I'll be working hard on the next chapter in the meantime!**

**Also, I've posted two new stories (both crossovers). One is a crossover between Bleach and Harry Potter and the other is a crossover between Twilight and Percy Jackson. Please read and review if you're interested :) thanks ^_^**

**~Marieke~**


	44. The battle for survival

**I am so sorry that it took me this long to finish this chapter! It was was a very difficult chapter to write and it took me way longer than I had thought when I started writing it... To make it up to all of you I made the chapter nice and long though some of you might not like the end of it ;)**

**An entire chapter from Jasper's POV, enjoy! **

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**Jasper POV**

We were ready, or at least as ready as we were ever going to be. The only ones who had real experience with fighting phoenixes were Zackary and Damian and the rest of us had learned it from them. The Volturi had been a great help in the training as well and even I had learned some new things from them.

As this was the last hour before we were going to teleport to the Master's castle, everyone was doing some last minute activities. Some had gone hunting and would meet us at the baseball clearing while others, namely the girls, were getting ready in their rooms. I didn't really understand why you would have to do your hair, clothes and make-up before a giant battle, but I just dismissed it as "girls are weird that way". 'Are the girls seriously still up there?' Zackary asked. He pointed up to the bedrooms where the girls had locked themselves in. 'Yes, and I have a feeling that it's going to take a while before they come out of there.' I sighed in mock frustration.

'Don't worry, Jasper. Here we are, ready to go.' I turned around to see Rosalie walking towards me, closely followed by Alice, Melody and Anna. They were all wearing the same kind of outfit, cargo pants, a tank-top and sneakers. Anna, Melody and Rosalie had their hair pinned up or in a ponytail so that it wouldn't get in the way while fighting. 'Sorry to keep you guys waiting.' Anna apologised. 'That's okay, honey.' Esme said reassuringly as she came walking down the stairs with the Denali women.

I could understand why they had been upstairs for a while. Everyone was wearing clothing in which they could fight easily and the women with long hair all had it tight up and together so that it wouldn't get in the way. The hair wouldn't have taken long, but finding the clothing might have been a problem. All the women usually wore feminine clothing and shoes, but they didn't really have actual fighting clothes. They probably had to dig deep into their closets to find these clothes and Alice had probably gotten her clothes new from the store as all the clothing she owned wasn't suited for fighting.

Melody came to stand next to me and put her arm around my waist. I smiled at her for a second before turning my attention to the others. The room was extremely crowded at the moment as the men, who had been waiting outside, had entered when they heard the women come downstairs. 'The other covens and the wolfs will be waiting for us at the clearing.' I told them. 'Let's go.' I turned around and walked outside without waiting for a reply.

Everyone knew the way to the clearing so I didn't waste any time and launched myself into the air. Melody, Damian, and Zackary followed and the four of us flew at full speed towards the clearing. When we arrived we were met by the Quileute wolfs who were all in their human form. Serena stood among them and was having a conversation with Paul, Embry and Jacob. They all looked up as we came closer and nodded in our direction. No one said anything out loud and even the small, whispered conversation that Serena was having died out as more and more of our little army began to arrive in the clearing.

The first to arrive were Amun and Kebi who were closely followed by the Irish coven, all of them with shining red eyes. Next to come were our family with the Denali's and Benjamin and Tia who all had glowing gold eyes as they had hunted on their way here. Both Benjamin and Tia had decided to try the vegetarian diet and were rather fond of it now. They didn't mind the taste that much and thought the hunt itself was way more fun than feeding off humans. The Cullens were closely followed by the Amazon coven, Peter and Charlotte and last, but certainly not least, were the Volturi.

As everyone gathered around they all looked at me expectantly and I sighed inwardly. Even though I might be a great strategist I wasn't all that good in talking to a large crowd, let alone giving them a motivational speech. I thought for a moment about what I could say now and decided to just go for the army approach. 'Everyone, listen up. We'll be leaving this place in a couple of minutes to fight against an army of extremely powerful creatures. You have all witnessed the strength that phoenixes possess and have trained well to prepare yourselves.' I stopped here for a few seconds to let everyone absorb the compliment I had just given. When everyone once again had their attention on me I continued.

'We are going to teleport by using the powers of the phoenixes that are present here. The wolfs will all be transported by Serena,' Serena nodded and gave me a quick wink, 'Damian will take the Egyptian, Amazon and Irish coven with him.' Damian nodded and I took that time to calm everyone down a bit as some of the vampires were getting too excited for comfort. 'Zackary will take the Volturi and Alice with him and Melody and I will take our family and the Denali's with us. Any questions so far?'

I looked around to see everyone shaking their heads to indicate they didn't have any further questions so I continued. 'We will all arrive at the same location as every phoenix knows where to teleport to,' I checked quickly to make sure that no phoenix was looking at me questioningly. 'When you arrive, wait for the others so that we will all be together when we face the Master and whatever army he has with him.'

Everyone nodded and started moving immediately. The wolfs all transformed and stood close together as Serena placed one hand lightly on Paul's side and the other on Sam. A second later the entire group disappeared in Serena's very light blue fire. The next group that disappeared were Zackary, Alice and the Volturi. The look on the Volturi's faces was priceless as the green fire engulfed them and I could even feel some fear from a couple of the guards.

Damian teleported soon after Serena had gone which only left our family and the Denali's. 'Well, see you guys there.' Melody whispered. I nodded and watched as my mate took the hands of Irina and Garrett. When the circle was complete Melody released her fire and the entire group vanished in a sea of gold and red flames. That left only my family and me. I looked at each of them in turn as we stood together in the teleport circle. They all looked determined and ready and I knew that they would give it their all.

I concentrated on the fire within me and a second later our little circle was engulfed in my white and blue flames. The next thing that we all saw was the large plain that was below the floating castle of the Master. Everyone else was already there, but they weren't looking at us. They were all looking to the other side of the field on which a large army of phoenixes stood at the ready with the Master in front of them. The emotions on the field were all about the same, determined and scared. The feelings from both sides were mutual and only the Master was feeling extremely confident and reassured. 'Get into formation.' I ordered. Everyone on our side nodded and was in position within a second.

We had trained on this and everything else so many times that I only had to say a few short words to get everyone going. I had never led an army that was this organised which was something I wasn't used to before, but had learned to work with during the past couple of weeks. I had made the formation so that everyone who was mated was standing with his or her mate. In the past I had seen battles at which mates were on opposite sides of the army and the only thing that did was them trying to get to each other. This meant that they wouldn't fight and even though it wasn't such a big problem with only one mated pair, it would be a huge problem with the amount of mated people we had here today.

The next step of the plan was to talk to the Master. I already knew that this wasn't going to work, but as an army leader I had to do this as it was common courtesy. 'Jasper, my vision isn't stable anymore. Something's changed and I can't see the outcome clearly anymore.' Alice whispered just before I started walking towards the middle of the field. I just nodded so that Alice knew I had heard her, but I didn't comment. It didn't matter what the outcome of this fight would be, because we couldn't back down now. If we went home now the Master would just follow us and we would bring the people of Forks in a lot of danger. I knew that phoenixes didn't harm people, but I guessed that the Master was crazy enough to not care anymore. He just wanted us all dead and would probably do anything he could to see this happen.

I was relieved to see that the Master had at least the decency to come to the middle of the field as well. He was accompanied by two of his men so I motioned for Zackary and Emmett to follow me. I knew Melody wanted to come with me, but I didn't want my mate anywhere near the guy who had taken her away from me before. 'So, I see you've come to me. Well, that just saves me the trouble of teleporting towards you.' The Master chuckled. I gritted my teeth, but didn't respond to his behaviour. 'Yes, we've come to ask you to back down and leave us alone. We don't want to fight, but if we have to we will defend ourselves to stay alive.' I told my opponent. 'Right, which means that the prophecy about you becoming the next leader was false? That you will just go away when I promise to leave you alone?' The Master asked sceptically. 'Yes, that's exactly what I mean.' I told him.

This only made the Master laugh out loud as he shook his head in denial. 'You honestly think I would believe that?' he asked. 'You insult me if you think I'm that naïve. I will never give you my throne and I will beat you to prove to everyone that I am the rightful leader of our race.' With that the Master turned around and walked back to his ranks. I did the same and walked back to my family and friends who were all waiting for my command. We had all known that this conversation would lead to nothing so no one was disappointed that the fight was still going to happen.

Everyone was once again looking at me to give them instructions, but there wasn't anything else I could tell them. They still expected something though so I took a deep breath and addressed everyone. 'I know you are all scared of the fight ahead, but you are trained well and I have confidence in our victory. Fight the way you learned and don't be afraid to ask help if you need it. Make sure that those who have mates keep an eye on each other so that you will be able to fight to the fullest without fearing you might lose the other. Fight for you freedom and for those who live in this land and on earth. We will be victorious!'

My little speech was met by animalistic roars from the vampires and wolfs and shouts from the phoenixes. I turned around to face our enemy and saw that they were just standing there. The Master wasn't giving them a small speech to boast their confidence and I could sense that a lot of his soldiers were getting nervous now. 'Get ready, here they come.' I growled so that everyone on our side could hear.

The phoenixes on the opposite side began their assault slowly, but were soon moving at full speed towards us. 'Let's go!' I called. My call was answered by more roars and almost everyone flashed from their spot towards the enemy. The only ones who stayed behind were Bella, Edward, Carlisle and Esme. Bella's job was to stand behind the line of fire and shield all the vampires with an ability. Edward, Carlisle and Esme were here guard and had to make sure that any phoenix who got to them was destroyed before he or she could disturb Bella.

That's the last thing I could think of before I was flung into the battle myself. Two large, Emmett sized phoenixes came flying towards me at full speed and I readied myself for their arrival. When they were so close that I could feel their breath I launched upwards and let myself fall back down in the same second. Both my feet stomped into the phoenixes' backs which caused them to crash into the ground, leaving large gutters in their wake. I landed behind both of them and readied myself for when they would get up.

It didn't take them long to do just that and we were soon circling each other. I could feel that these guys didn't really want to fight which was interesting. 'You guys don't want to fight me, do you?' I asked them in a calm voice. 'None of your business, halfling.' One of them spat though I could feel that he didn't mean what he had said. 'I don't know what the Master told you guys, but you don't have to fight us. If you want you can just fly away or fight with us.' I told them while sending them a small wave of trust. 'The Master told us that you would come to kill us all. He told us that you would destroy our world.'

'That won't happen. We came here because the Master wants us dead and refuses to let us live our lives in peace. He believes too much in the prophecy that tells a halfling will take his throne and he can't see he's making the prophecy come true himself by doing this.' I spat the last part of my little speech and I could feel the hate towards the Master bubble up inside me. 'You're not here to kill us all?' the other phoenix asked as a bit of hope entered his emotional state. 'No, we only came here to fight for our freedom as well as yours.'

Both of the phoenixes thought about his for a second while they continued to circle me. 'We will fight with you.' They finally said in unison. I was surprised by their quick reply, but didn't have any time to react to it as they both shot fireballs towards me. I had barely enough time to launch out of the way before the fireballs would hit. Cursing myself that I should have read their emotions more carefully I readied myself to take the two phoenixes down only to see that they were attacking two others now. They had come up behind me and my two former enemies had seen them approaching when I hadn't even heard them yet.

'We have your back. Go for the Master and show him what you've got.' One of the phoenixes said without looking at me. 'Thank you.' I said and launched myself over the battlefield in the direction of the Master. _Melody, spread the word that not all the phoenixes in the Master's army want to fight us. Let everyone try and explain to them why we're here and they might fight with us. _I told my mate who was fighting alongside Zackary and Alice at the moment. I hadn't even noticed that she had gone from my side until now as I was too busy with the two phoenixes who had attacked me. _Will do. I'll tell Zack and Alice to spread the word and then come to your side again._

I didn't reply to this and scanned the battlefield below and around me. The wolfs were holding up nicely with the help of Serena who made sure that attacks from above were difficult or impossible for the enemy. Benjamin was emitting fun as he took control of the fireballs that were coming his way and fired them back to their owners. This was so that the others on his side could fight the phoenixes who weren't using their fire. Damian was using his ability to change the weather to slow down the phoenixes who attacked from the sky. He used the air to push them back after which one of the vampires would jump up and drag the phoenix to the ground against his or her will.

The Cullens and Denali's were doing okay as well and so were the little group that was Bella's guard. They didn't have much to do so far, but that would soon change as I looked up and saw that only half of the Master's army had attacked us so far. I growled and turned around again. This was not yet the time to confront the Master as his defence was way too strong for me to get through. 'Mine!' someone growled behind me. I flipped around just in time to see a large, Emmett sized phoenix flying above me. I didn't have time to do anything though and was struck down by this guy in less than a second.

This phoenix was stronger than the ones I had seen before and I didn't even have time to land properly. Instead I crashed into the ground hard and left a hole in my wake. I quickly got up and crouched down in a defence stance while the large phoenix positioned himself in front of me in the same way. 'You don't have to fight me, you know?' I said, hoping I could persuade him as I had done with the other two before. 'You're wasting your breath, halfling. I'm not going to take orders from anyone who isn't a full phoenix.'

I searched his emotions for any sign that he might not be totally convinced about this, but all I could find was hate towards me and determination. I quickly dismissed any thought of trying to talk to him and let out a growl. 'Hah, so the old vampire makes its appearance.' The big guy said mockingly. I ignored this and started circling around the phoenix while keeping a close watch on the guy's emotions. 'Not willing to talk anymore? Fine by me.' The phoenix said and he started circling me as well.

A couple of times I tried to attack, but backed down at the last second. This guy didn't have any openings whatsoever, but luckily, neither did I. We danced around each other, sometimes feinting an attack, but most of the time just circling and watching. After a while I started to notice that a small crowd was starting to form around and above us. This didn't help me much as they were all from the opposite side. These were the phoenixes who hadn't joined the fight yet which meant that if I won against the big one I would have to fight my way through the others as well.

I made a quick calculation and came to twelve phoenixes, not counting the big one. 'Okay, let's get this over with.' The big guy growled. I made a split decision then and summoned my fire. 'Well, the little halfling knows a little trick. Too bad we all know that trick.' The guy drawled, but I ignored him. Instead I released my fire and let it form a dome around my opponent and myself so that the others couldn't interfere. One problem at the time was more than enough. 'You think that will help you against me?' 'No, but it will keep your little friends out of my way as I rip you to pieces.' I spat. I was done with this guy and his little speeches.

While I let a small part of my mind worry about keeping the fire in place, I used another part to build up as much pain and agony as I could. I held in there for a few seconds and grinned at my opponent. If he was anything like Emmett he wouldn't like that too much and would attack. My guess was right as the anger in the big one increased and he readied himself for an attack. I waited patiently, not even bothered to crouch down in a defensive stance. This only enraged my enemy more and that is when he decided to attack. 'You're mine now.' I whispered as I pushed all the pain and agony I had in me towards my opponent.

The effect that I had been hoping for happened and the big guy crashed to the ground. He was howling in pain and fear and made himself as tiny as he possible could. I walked over to him at a normal pace and crouched down next to him. 'You're first and last mistake was to underestimate me.' I whispered. The guy's eyes widened in fear as the reality sank in. I didn't give him enough time to think this all through though. He may be my enemy, but that didn't mean he should suffer. I quickly grabbed his neck, while keeping the emotional stream towards him active, and twisted it. A loud crack resonated around my fire dome followed by a tearing sound as the head came off. I quickly dismembered the rest of his body and put it all together in a pile. I knew that the body couldn't be burned so I just left him there.

I concentrated more on my fire again and slowly lowered it all until it was gone. I was met by the dozen phoenixes who had been there before and all of them were extremely hostile. 'You killed him! You killed my mate!' one of the female phoenixes shrieked. She wasn't thinking anymore and launched herself at me. She was like a newborn vampire now so I took care of her quickly, tossing the body parts on her mate's pile.

I knew that my actions would only cause the others to attack me as well so I quickly threw out a dose of lethargy. Thankfully this had the desired effect of all of them becoming a bit drowsy, but it wasn't enough to get them unfocused. I quickly flew up and positioned myself above my would-be attackers. 'Yo bro! Need a hand?' I looked down to see Emmett and Rosalie standing behind the little crowd that wanted me dead. 'Yeah, that would help a lot.' I said with a grin. Emmett just winked, picked up a body part from the pile I had created and threw it was hard as he could towards the hostile group.

Half of them reacted and turned towards my brother and sister while the rest of them were still looking at me. I was tempted to look down and see how my siblings were doing, but I had no time as two phoenixes attacked me at the same time. I blocked one and evaded another, only to be met by an elbow of a third. The elbow collided with the back of my head in a deafening crack and for a second my vision was littered with stars. When my vision came back I was met by a circle of phoenixes who were all ready to attack again. I didn't have any way to escape as four of them were around me while one was above me and one below me.

I readied myself for the attack as good as I could which was a good enough hint for the group to attack. I blocked the first three attackers, got hit in the back by a fourth and was about to be hit on the head again when that phoenix flew to the side all of a sudden. The next phoenix to disappear to the side was the one from below and after that came two of the phoenixes who were around me. 'Need some more help?' the familiar, bell like voice of my mate asked. I looked behind me to see one of my earlier opponents hanging in the air though he couldn't move a muscle. His dominant emotion now was fear as he strained against the hold Melody had on him.

'Duck!' Melody called and I did what she said without question. An instant later I felt the air above me move which was followed by the sound of something hitting someone. I looked behind me to see three phoenixes tumble down to the earth in a tumbling mess of feathers, arms and legs. Melody came to my side quickly and pulled me away from this lot. 'Jane is coming this way and will take care of them. Our family needs us more now.' Melody explained. I nodded and we launched ourselves into the direction of Carlisle, Esme, Edward and Bella.

Behind me the sounds and feelings of pain could be heard and I guessed that Jane had arrived at the scene. As the pain continued, fear also came into the emotional climate. I guessed that this was because both Emmett and Rosalie were there to dismember them. Melody pushed away two assailants on our way to Bella's group and had to stop when a third attacked us. He pushed back against her power which took my mate by surprise. 'You're not going anywhere, young one.' the guy said. 'Go Jasper, I'll hold him off.'

Of course I wanted to protest, but the feelings of desperation and fear hit me hard then. I spun around and zeroed in on the spot the emotions were coming from. My own fear spread through my body then as I saw that Esme was losing her fight against two phoenixes. Carlisle and Edward both tried to get to her, but they weren't able to get past their own opponents. Meanwhile Bella was feeling conflicted and I could understand why. Someone she loved dearly was in danger and all she could do was watch as she had to keep the others shielded.

I put on a burst of speed and launched myself towards the two phoenixes who, by now, had Esme pinned to the ground. A feral growl escaped my lips which caught the attention of the two though they didn't release Esme. I spun around at the last second and kicked one of them in the stomach. I tried to hit the other one too, but she was too fast. In one motion she had gotten out of my way and had dragged Esme with her. My surrogate mother growled and whimpered and tried to move, but it was no use. The grip the phoenix had on her was too strong to break free from.

I started circling the phoenix, hoping to find an opening in which I could attack her and free Esme. The phoenix wasn't taking any chances though and kept Esme between her and me the entire time. 'Just give it up. You won't be able to safe her and you know it.' The female said confidently. 'And look, here come more of my friends.' She was looking at something behind me, but I couldn't look back now. If I did the female would have an opening to attack me and I couldn't let that happen. Instead I started to circle her faster so that I could just glance up to see the reinforcements. There were seven in total and no one from our side was close enough to help us.

'Esme… I'm sorry.' I whispered as the only way to do this became clear to me. Esme just nodded and I could see venom tears pooling in her eyes. Tears she would never be able to shed, but were very real nonetheless. I clenched my jaw and readied myself for an attack. The female looked surprised, but recovered fast enough as a victorious grin spread across her face. I feinted left and was happy to see that the woman took the bait. Her defence became perfect for when I would attack from the left, but this also meant that changing to the other side would cost too much time. I quickly spun back to the right, came up around her and kicked her as hard as I could in the back.

A loud crack sounded across the clearing as my enemy's spine broke, followed by her howl of pain. Then the female did what I was afraid of. In her anger and as a reaction to the unanticipated attack she pulled both her arms back in an attempt to elbow me in the stomach. I dodged this, but the screeching sound of metal hit me so hard that I fell to the ground anyway. Next came the pain of Esme, Carlisle, Edward and Bella though Esme's pain was the most. I didn't have time to succumb to the emotions though as I had to finish this. As the female sank to the ground, next to Esme I quickly grabbed her head, twisted and ripped in clean off her shoulders. Next came the arms and legs which came of easily enough and I once again threw them all on a pile.

I wanted to help Esme more than anything, but there wasn't time as another wave of enemies was about to attack us. I quickly turned around to ready myself for the attack, but to my surprise the seven phoenixes who had come over were all standing on the ground with a blank expression on their faces. A quick look to my side showed me that the same had happened to the ones who had been attacking Carlisle and Edward.

'Go, I've got this.' Alec said from behind me. I turned around and gave him a curt nod before heading off to another part of the battle. Carlisle would help Esme so I didn't have to worry about that. Melody followed me as I flew towards the part where the wolfs and Serena were fighting. The battle there wasn't going as well as I had hoped for and they could definitely use some help.

The black Alpha nodded his head in acknowledgement as we flew past, but I didn't have time to do the same. My eyes were set on a group of three phoenixes who were attacking one wolf at the same time. On the other side was a slightly smaller grey wolf who was fending off two phoenixes and wasn't doing so well. I glanced at Melody quickly which she understood. She nodded once and flew off to help the smaller grey wolf.

I focussed on the group of three phoenixes again and send a large dose of pain in their direction. The phoenixes crumbled down in an instant which gave the wolf time to recover a bit. I quickly took out one phoenix, but wasn't in time to take out another. These phoenixes were strong and were fighting my influence on them. One of them had gotten over the pain I had sent her and readied herself to attack me. I crouched down as well, but kept the other phoenix in my sight so that I wouldn't be open for a surprise attack.

The other phoenix noticed this and a smirk appeared on her face. I didn't like this one bit, but had no choice to think about this as the female chose this moment to attack. The attack was faster and more precise than I had ever seen anyone attack in my life. I didn't have any time to react and her first punch was true and hard. I flew back fast, but managed to flip myself and land quickly… or so I thought. I was about to put my feet down when someone else's foot landed in my stomach. I doubled over at which point a hand grabbed my throat and pulled me up. 'You are nothing.' The female all but spat. 'How dare you defy the Master like this. Well, I'm going to make sure that you won't go against him ever again.' The phoenix squeezed her hand tighter and tighter and no matter what I did, I couldn't get loose.

_Melody… I… ―_ I couldn't finish my mental sentence as at that moment the female who was holding me was shoved to the side. She released me in the process and I quickly looked around to see what had happened. I was met by the wolfish grin of Seth who was proud of himself at the moment, probably for helping me. 'Thanks, Seth.' I said before quickly telling Melody I was okay.

I didn't have any time do think of do something else as the female had already recovered from Seth's surprise attack. This time she motioned for the other phoenix to join her as she crouched down again in front of Seth and me. The male phoenix did the same and the four of us began to circle each other to find an opening.

The male phoenix was the first to attack, but his attack was expected. He had become impatient quickly and would have attacked sooner or later. The big guy shot a couple of fireballs into our direction, but I quickly blasted them out of the air with a couple of my own. I quickly followed my last fireball and hit the big phoenix right on his nose a second after my last fireball had hit his last. A satisfying crunch met my ears as his nose broke under my fist. My victory was short lived though as the phoenix recovered quickly and answered with an uppercut of his own.

I avoided his fist at the last second and leaped up into the air to get a bit more space. The big guy followed and we were soon in a fist fight. I landed a lot of hits on the guy, but he got just as many hits in return. We both fired some fireballs, but they had no effect as we both shot each other's fire out of the air. 'This is getting us nowhere, is it?' the big guy said while we were circling each other in midair. 'Why don't you just give up then? That would be easier right?' 'No, I think I'll take the other easy way.' I was about to ask what this other way was when the phoenix literally disappeared into thin air right in front of me.

The next thing I knew was getting hit by an invisible force and I slammed hard into the ground. I wasn't able to get up after this as the invisible force kept hitting me further and further into the ground. I could also feel him coming from different sides as the wind that his flight created came over me.

'Can't fight what you can't see, now can you?' the voice of the phoenix gloated. 'No, but I can fight what I can sense.' I replied through gritted teeth. This caused the phoenix to feel confused which pinpointed the direction my opponent would be coming from next. I closed my eyes and concentrated entirely on the emotions and struck out at the precise moment he flew over. My fist met the shoulder of the phoenix, but it was more than enough to knock him back. I jumped out of the small hole that had been created just in time to see the grass move where the phoenix had landed.

I launched myself towards that point and landed with my feet on my enemy's stomach. 'You're done for.' I growled. I send him a large dose of fear which, to my surprise, had the effect of him becoming visible again. He was emitting so much fear now that I almost felt sorry for him… almost. This guy had been all too happy to kill me and now I was going to do that very thing to him. I grabbed his head and twisted it hard. The snapping sound of a neck breaking met my ears and after that the tearing sound I was waiting for. I didn't look down at the guy again and just dropped the head next to the body.

I looked around to see that Seth had just finished the female vampire and had been joined by another wolf. They could help each other now so I launched myself into the air again and looked over the battlefield. The battle was going well for our side, but the Master still hadn't joined in. I could feel a lot of anger coming from him and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before he would do something about the current situation.

'Enough!' the Master's voice rang loudly over the field and I knew this was because of a phoenix power he had "borrowed" at the moment. I looked around quickly and saw that everyone had stopped fighting to look at the Master. This was the first time he had said anything since the battle had started and so everyone was feeling anxious and curious as to what he would say or do now. 'This ends now!' the Master almost spat. 'Everyone, get ready!' I called across the field, hoping they could all hear me over the cheers from the opposing army.

Another glance around told me that the others had luckily heard me. To my surprise and relief the phoenixes on our side had each gone to a certain group to fend off any fire that might be thrown at us from the Master. The only party that didn't have a phoenix was the group with Benjamin in it. They wouldn't need a phoenix as Benjamin could take control over the phoenix fire as long as Bella kept her shield on him.

I landed next to Melody who had gone to our family. She was feeling anxious and scared, but determined nonetheless. The rest of our family was emitting the same combination of emotions, but none of them showed it. I was proud of my family at that moment and would do anything to keep them all save. I quickly locked eyes with each of them and to my relief I saw that Esme was whole again. 'Here he comes.' Carlisle whispered.

I let my gaze go back to the Master and was shocked by what I was seeing. The phoenix was hovering above the field now and had a fireball above his head which was the size of the Cullen home. The ball had different colours, more than the fire of a normal phoenix, and was growing in size by the second. The bastard was collecting the fire power from all the phoenixes that weren't under Bella's shield. He didn't care that he was sucking the strength from his forces so that they would be open for an attack and easy kill.

I quickly turned around and called to my friends and family to stop the fighting and gather around Bella. Everyone did as I told them at once and were standing together less than a second later. 'The Master is going to throw that thing at us at any second now. Bella, can you put your shield on as many people as you can?' Bella nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate. The effect was instantly as the phoenixes inside the shield started to get their strength back and got up from the ground. They looked around in confusion, but stopped quickly as they saw the now massive fireball the Master was holding.

'I can't reach any further.' Bella panted. 'That's okay, you did what you could. Please just keep the shield in place for as long as you can.' Bella nodded and kept her eyes closed and focussed hard on her shield. 'Edward, stay close to Bella and lend her your strength. Your bond with her is the same as I have with Melody so if you concentrate you should be able to send her your strength so that her shield will become stronger.' For once Edward didn't argue with me and did as I said. He went to stand behind Bella and put his arms around her waist. Bella relaxed visibly at the contact, but didn't lose focus which told me it was working.

'Okay vampires, go to the phoenixes who weren't on our side yet and tell them what is happening. Tell them that they have to stay close to us so that they will be shielded. Phoenixes, fly as fast as you can to anyone who isn't inside the shield yet and convince them to get under it. Melody and Damian, use your ability to push them under the shield if you have to. Everything clear?' I looked around to see everyone nod their head before heading off into different directions.

I did the same thing and flew as fast as I could to anyone who wasn't inside the shield yet. This wasn't about sides anymore. The Master had declared war to everyone on the field the moment he started creating his massive fireball. I had just convinced a few phoenixes to go under the shield when the emotions of the Master changed from focus to anger. 'It's coming! Everyone, get back!' I yelled. I flew back as fast as I could and only just made it back to the shield in time. The heat of the fireball hit my back, but didn't burn me as the fire hit the shield. I was sure that if a vampire or wolf had been where I was now he or she would have been killed instantly though.

The fire kept raging around the shield as I made my way back to my family and friends. Melody grabbed my hand the moment I landed and held on tight. I looked around at my comrades and saw that they were all looking at the flames which were trying to get into our protective bubble. The phoenixes who we had managed to get under the shield were feeling nothing but gratitude towards us all though fear was definitely there as well. They were looking at the fire as if it was something alien and some even tried to control it. It was no use though as this was the fire the Master had created and was therefore not something anyone else could control.

'I can't do anything with it.' Benjamin sighed next to me. 'I know. The Master is too strong so save your strength.' I told the young Egyptian. 'What now, Jasper?' Rosalie asked. 'I don't know. We'll have to wait for the Master to give up on his fire attack before we can do anything to stop him.' I sighed in frustration. 'You can't keep this up forever!' the Master called. I gritted my teeth and didn't reply. If Bella could keep the shield up we were fine.

A gasp from behind me shattered that belief in an instant. I turned around to see that Bella had fallen to her knees and was trembling all over. Edward was holding her tight, but his eyes were focussed on me. His eyes were begging me to do something and I knew why. Bella couldn't take much more as the Master was increasing the strength he put behind the fire. As Bella's panting increased the sounds of screaming phoenixes could be heard. The shield was retracting and the people closest to the rim were now feeling the full power of the fire.

The phoenixes who were too weak from the drain were going up in flames and there was nothing we could do about it. Everyone who wasn't too weak got closer together until we were all standing together around Bella. 'We have to do something, now!' Zackary growled. 'I know, but what?' I growled back. 'Can't you do something with his emotions? Or can't Damian control the weather and blow the fire away or make it rain or… something, anything!' Zackary was getting more and more frustrated by the second and I couldn't blame him. At this rate we would all be fried which wasn't something I was going to allow.

'Okay, here's what we'll do. Damian, control the wind and try to push the fire back with it has hard as you can. Melody, focus your power on the Master and try to get him to lose focus by unbalancing him. Benjamin, help Damian by pushing the fire away from us. Jane, help Melody by sending as much pain to the Master as you can. I will help by sending him a dose of fear and pain as well.' Everyone nodded and I could feel a bit of hope return to them all. It was good to at least do something than just stand here and wait for our deaths.

Damian started our assault by flying up and controlling the wind and temperature. The wind picked up around him and when he was satisfied he blasted it outward and then up towards the fire. At the same time the temperature dropped significantly which caused the fire to shrink a bit. Benjamin stood beneath Damian and held his hands up to the fire. He had his eyes closed in concentration though a small smile appeared on his face which indicated that it was working.

I went with Jane and Melody to stand as close to the Master as the shield would allow. 'Let's do this.' Jane growled and I could see the usual sadistic smirk appear on her face as she readied her attack. 'Now.' I told the girls. Melody struck her hands out at the same time I threw an extremely large dose of fear and pain towards the Master. Jane was also pointing at the Master and was concentrating on her power with her smirk still in place. At first we didn't see any change in the Master and I thought we were failing, but after a few seconds the fire began to shrink noticeably. 'It's working, keep it up!' I called.

As the fire became smaller and smaller my hope grew larger and larger. This was it, we would defeat the Master and the good vision would become reality. I was about to voice this when as gasp from below sounded. I looked behind me to see Alice, Zackary, Serena and Paul looking scared. 'What?' I called as I tried not to lose focus of the emotions I was sending to the Master. 'Get away from there!' Was all Alice called hysterically. 'Too late!' The Master boomed.

I looked up again to see a victorious smile appear on the Master's face. 'Now die!' The Master's emotions shifted and it took me less than a second to realise what he was about to do. Melody, Jane, Damian, Benjamin! Get back to Bella, now!' I called. They didn't argue with me, but did as I told them. I flew back too, but knew it was too late as the heat increased at a fast rate now. What we had been doing hadn't worked at all. The Master only let us think this so that he had time to activate the next step of his plan.

I quickly looked at everyone before resting my eyes on my mate. She was scared, but still so beautiful as her red and golden eyes looked back at me. A tear escaped her eye as she grabbed my hand and stopped flying. We both knew it was of no use anymore. I pulled her towards me and held her tight as the Master's laughter reached us. 'I love you.' I managed to say just before the fireball exploded and engulfed all of us.

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**Please let me know what you think! Review, review, review! I really want to know what your opinion about the chapter!**

**Almost at the end of the story now... just a little more to go :)**

**~Marieke~**


	45. It ends

**Faster update, but a shorter chapter... I wanted to write one long final chapter, but in the end I decided to cut it in half. **

**Jasper and Rosalie POV. Hope you'll like it ^_^**

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**Jasper POV**

The fire was everywhere and all I could do was close my eyes and hold on to Melody. I could feel the pain of over half of the people on the field and it took everything I had not to succumb to it. People around us were dying, I could feel it. Just a quarter of the people who were all on our left were as fine as possible under the circumstances. I guessed that that was where Bella stood, reaching out with her shield as far as she could. Melody and I were on the outskirts of the shield and would have to move further towards Bella if we wanted to stay safe.

_Mel, we have to get to Bella. Can you move?_ I asked through our link. _And what if we move? The Master won't stop there and you know it. This has to end now._ There was a determination in her mental voice that I had only heard once before during the fight with the newborn army. _What are you planning on doing?_ I asked though I was afraid to hear the answer. When she had felt like this before she had attacked and had then vanished right before my eyes.

_I'm going to do what I feel is right. Don't worry, this will work._ My angel said this with so much conviction that I believed her and I started letting go of her without making a conscious decision to do so. _Go to Bella and stay safe, my love._ Melody whispered. I opened my eyes a tiny bit and saw that she was doing the same. There was no sign of fear in her eyes, only determination and her love for me. 'Mel... what are you...' I trailed off, not knowing what to say. 'There is a feeling inside me that tells me what I have to do. I just need you to go to Bella so that I know that you're safe. I know that the pain of all the others out there is crippling you to an extent, but I know you can make it. Let me do what I have to do... and I'll see you when this is all finished.'

With that Melody let go of me entirely and even pushed me towards Bella's location. She smiled at me, but I wasn't as convinced as I had been before as a tear silently rolled down her face. 'Mel, let me go with― I wasn't even able to finish my sentence before a force hit me hard and send me flying backwards. I knew what had happened immediately and it wasn't just because Melody was feeling extremely guilty. She had pushed me back so that I couldn't reach her before she would fly out of the shield and into the inferno. _Please Jasper, stay safe... for me._ Melody sounded so sad in that moment that I just nodded in response. I couldn't refuse her, even now. The only thing I could do was believe in her and believe that I would see her when this was all over. I turned around and sped towards Bella's location without looking back. I had to let Melody do what she had to do, but I knew that if I looked back my resolve to let her go would break and I would grab her and never let her go.

I reached Bella's location purely on following her emotions as the light of the fire had started hurting my eyes a few seconds after I had left Melody behind. With my eyes closed I couldn't tell exactly who were near Bella though I could feel a couple of familiar emotions near me. 'Who managed to get here as well?' I asked. 'Our family is safe so far.' Carlisle said in a calm voice though I could sense he was terrified just like the rest of us. 'We don't know that much about the others. Bella can sense some familiar presences under her shield, but she can't tell who they are. Most of them aren't communicating either as most are probably too scared to say anything.'

Carlisle said all this in a machine kind of way and I knew that he did this to keep the fear that he was feeling out of his voice. 'Where's Melody?' Esme asked in a whisper. 'She's going outside the barrier… to try and stop the Master.' I replied in an even softer whisper. 'What will ―' Emmett wasn't able to finish his sentence as at that moment a blinding flash came from the direction I had left Melody in.

We all waited in complete silence as the flash began to disappear, hoping we would be able to see what was going on. As the light vanished we all gasped in unison. The fire that had been surrounding us ever since the Master had taken control of the battle had disappeared almost completely. All that remained were two balls of fire which were facing each other in mid-air. One of the balls was made of a piercing blue light while the other was a mix of red and gold. To my dismay I could see that the red and gold ball was significantly smaller than the blue one. _Melody?_ I asked carefully, not really knowing whether she would reply or not. _Jasper, I need your help! I surprised the Master with a sneak attack, but he's too powerful for me to take him head on. Please, lend me your strength!_ I felt Melody's desperation through our link and knew I had to do something. 'Send her your strength through your link. I know you want to go to her, but there's no time to do so. This is what has to be done, Alice saw it.'

I turned around to see Zack looking at me with fierce determination in his eyes and a little sadness too. 'I will send my strength too, but yours will be the most important. You can send it directly into her soul which will be double or maybe even triple the power I can send.' I nodded and concentrated on my link with Mel while building up my power. When I had gathered all the power I could miss without losing consciousness I send it to her. The effect was immediately visible as the ball around Melody grew over twice in size.

Melody send me feelings of gratitude and love, but didn't say anything. 'What's happening now?' I asked as the ball kept growing though both Zack and I had already sent as much of our strength as we could spare. 'The others… they're helping.' Rosalie whispered. I followed her gaze and saw that every phoenix who was still alive and had some strength left was sending that strength to Melody. A smile began to appear on my face and the thought that we might actually win in the end became stronger in my mind. I was still afraid that Melody wouldn't come out of this, but as her power kept increasing that fear became smaller and smaller.

I was about to actually celebrate and cheer with the others when something changed drastically in Melody's emotions. My eyes focussed on the red and golden fire and before my eyes the shape of the figure within the fire began to change. Her wings grew larger and her body smaller while a long feathery tail grew out behind her. The shoes she had been wearing fell down as her feet changed into claws with talons and her hair changed into a sea of feathers. The last thing that changed was her face. It elongated and stretched until a beak had formed and the Melody I knew was no more. Instead there was a large red and gold bird in the air which was emitting nothing more than basic feelings. I couldn't feel Melody through the link I shared with her and the feelings that I could feel the normal way weren't those I knew from my mate.

'She's done it.' Serena whispered. 'What has she done?' I asked in a growl without taking my eyes off the bird. 'She's evolved into the shape our ancestors had. The bird was our first form, but we lost it over the years of evolution. It was said that one day someone would once again achieve this form, but I never knew it would be Melody. I guess no one knew accept maybe her parents. They ran away with her to protect her and I wonder if this was why they did that.' I listened to Serena and could feel several puzzle pieces fall into place in my head. The most important of which was why Melody had send me here instead of letting me help her fight the Master. She knew that something had to happen and that she had to do it on her own and I guessed that this was it.

_Master!_ A female voice boomed in my mind. 'What the…?' Emmett was looking around him in confusion and I could see others do the same. I figured that everyone had heard the voice, but didn't really care at the moment. Somewhere in that voice I recognised my Melody's voice which meant that she was still somewhere in there. _Master!_ The voice boomed again. _You have disobeyed the most important rule that our ancestors have set for us thousands of years ago. You have hurt innocent beings, hunted them down even. You have brought pain and suffering to humans and phoenixes alike and you couldn't see the difference between a good and bad vampire. You are a disgrace to our race and to the memory of our ancestors. _

The Master was cowering in front of the bird by now, all the fire he had held had disappeared. 'I'm sorry! I― _SILENCE! _Everyone put their hands to their heads as the screech pierced through us like a knife. _You have had your chance to redeem yourself multiple times, but you never took that chance. Now you won't escape your punishment. _With that the heat started to increase and I could feel that it was too hot for the Master to handle which meant that we would all be in trouble too. 'Bella, put your shield up. Everyone, form a circle and lend your strength to Bella like Zack and I did with Melody.' Everyone did as I said immediately as they knew it was probably the only way to survive.

As we stood there, hand in hand, the heat kept increasing and I could feel the pain that was now coming from the Master. I couldn't see what was happening to him as the fire was too bright, but the emotions coming from our enemy were enough to know that Melody wasn't showing him any mercy. Even within the shield we could all feel the heat and if it would increase any more we would all be roasted as well. 'This is it!' Serena called to everyone in the circle. I wanted to ask what she was talking about when the heat increased tenfold and then disappeared as if it had never existed.

**Rosalie POV**

The moment the heat had gone away Bella collapsed. Edward caught her just before she hit the ground and held her close. He was muttering to her that he was proud and that she could rest now, but I really didn't care about that now. I was searching the skies with my eyes for a hint of the bird that had once been my baby sister, but there was no sign of her anywhere. She was gone and so was that creep that called himself the Master.

I turned my eyes back down and looked around me instead. The whole battlefield had turned into a field of blood, limbs and purple smoking fires and it made me sick. I hadn't really focussed on it before, because I was too preoccupied with Melody, but now it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing up. This battle had become much more gruesome than any of us had ever expected and both sides had paid dearly for it. I didn't even know how many of our allies had survived, but I was sure we would soon find out.

The first thing I wanted to do was check whether my family was still intact. I knew Emmett was safe and that Bella was fine as well, but I didn't know about the others. Edward might be with Bella, but he might have some wounds and I hadn't really looked at the others to see if they were okay or not. We had all been paying attention to the sky instead of each other the past few minutes.

As I looked around I was relieved to see that both my parents were fine though Carlisle had a few burn marks on him and Esme had scars halfway up her upper arms. I already knew Emmett was fine except that he had three of his fingers in his jeans pocket which he would have to attach later as well as his left ear. Jasper was still staring at the sky and pain was flowing from him, but I didn't want to focus on that at the moment. Instead I started looking for my other sister. She should be here, with us, helping Bella or looking in the future for a sign of Melody. She should be with us to show that she's okay, but instead she was nowhere to be found and neither was Zack.

'Carlisle, have you seen Alice?' I asked though I didn't really want to know the answer. 'No… last time I saw her she was trying to help someone get under Bella's shield.' Carlisle replied. It wasn't the answer I was dreading, but it wasn't the answer I was looking for either. 'Edward, can you hear Alice her thoughts anywhere?' I asked, getting desperate now. 'You know I can't as Zack is blocking her thoughts.' Edward replied though for once he didn't sound irritated about the blocking. He was worried about Alice too and of course there was Bella who was still unconscious which wasn't normal for a vampire.

'I'm going to look for Alice.' I stated when I was sure my sister wasn't anywhere near us. 'I'm coming with you. There isn't much more I can do here anyway.' Emmett said. I gave him a small smile, but knew that it didn't reach my eyes. Somehow this victory didn't feel like a victory and that was because our family wasn't complete. Two of my sisters were missing and one was unconscious and that just didn't cut it for me. There wasn't anything I could do for Bella or Melody so focussing on Alice was all I could do to keep me from losing my mind.

Emmett and I started our search in the direction Zack had been in when he had told Jasper what Alice had seen. It was the only clue we had to finding our sister and her mate as Zack had disappeared right after the final increase of heat. As we ran we came past several others, some we knew and some we didn't. At one point we passed Garret who was holding a sobbing Kate and Tanya tight to his chest. Next to them were three piles of ashes and I could guess who they had been though I didn't ask. This was a moment for the three of them and I was on a mission of my own.

As we ran further we came past several more of these scenes before I finally saw the sandy coloured wings that belonged to Zackary. My relief to see him alive made me run faster and faster until I saw that he was alone. I slowed down a bit, but was kept running. Zackary didn't react to our approach even though I was sure he could hear us which worried me a little. When we were just a couple of feet away from the large phoenix I stopped and held out my arm to signal that Emmett should do the same. Thankfully my mate stopped without asking why and looked at Zackary with a worried expression in his eyes. Something was wrong here. If Alice was with Zack then she would have come jumping towards us. She would have hugged us and dance around and do all the things Alice does when she's happy.

'Zack?' I asked carefully. Zack didn't react immediately and I was about to call his name again when he slowly started turning around. As I had suspected he was alone, but the thing that shocked me was what he was holding. In his hand lay the Cullen crest necklace that Carlisle and Esme had given Alice when she and Jasper had joined the family. None of us ever took our family crests off as it was one of the most treasured items we all possessed. The fact that Zackary was holding Alice's crest could mean only one thing: Alice was gone.

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**What did you think? Don't hate me because of Alice! Just trust me and wait patiently for the next chapter ;)**

**And don't forget to review! :)**

**~Marieke~**


	46. Stumbling upon a girl again

**The last chapter of this story... I feel both proud and sad that it has come to an end... Hope you'll enjoy reading this final update and make me happy with a lot of final reviews ;)**

**Jasper, Amera and Alice POV**

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**Jasper POV**

The battle was fought, but not over. We had suffered and lost people we cared about and loved. We were still waiting for Alice and Zack to show up, but when Rosalie came back from her search for Alice she had tears in her eyes that would never fall. We all knew what this meant, but the confirmation when Zack told us Alice was really gone was too much. Suspecting the worst and knowing it are two completely different things.

Esme collapsed instantly and started sobbing in Carlisle's arms over the two daughters she had lost. Bella, who had regained consciousness a minute earlier, started crying as well while Rosalie was just standing there, looking at the sky. She wasn't someone who would cry in public, but I could tell she was crying on the inside.

Soon after this the remaining Denali's showed up. We were shocked to see that only three of them were left, but also relieved that at least three of them had survived. Others followed the Denali's and we soon found out that, even though we had lost some friends, many of them had survived. The Volturi had lost Demetri and their fighter Felix would have to get used to life without his left hand. Alec and Jane had come out of the fight without much damage though Jane had a scar around her neck which meant that she had lost her head at some point. 'I reattached it for her,' Alec said with a shrug.

Of the Volturi leaders only Marcus and Aro had survived. They told us how Caius had jumped in front of Jane when her head had been torn off. Apparently Caius had always felt protective over the twins and today he had paid the ultimate price for their safety.

The wolfs arrived after the Volturi had sat down a couple of yards away from us. The pack was still large, but I could see that there were gaps in the ranks. Gaps that would be closed soon, but were left open now as a way to honour their fallen comrades. The first wolf that I missed was the great black alpha, Sam, and as I looked further I noticed that the smaller grey one, Leah, was gone too. 'Jacob says that they lost Leah, Quill and Sam during the fight. Paul and Embry were injured badly, but will survive though they need some of us to carry them over here.' Edward said in a detached voice. I nodded to Jacob and before I could say anything a handful of known and unknown phoenixes got up. 'We'll go. Lead the way, Jacob.' Jacob nodded and raced towards the location of the injured wolfs.

In the next half hour everyone who had survived the battle, whether it was from our side or the Master's side' had come over and were quietly discussing what had happened. To my surprise both Anna and Riley had survived the battle and, even though they were sad, they were also proud that they had been able to help in this battle and survive. 'Let's go home.' Rosalie whispered when everyone was there. We all nodded, too tired and sad to say much, and automatically formed a couple of circles so that we could teleport.

'Wait! What will happen to us? To our land?' one of the former enemy phoenixes asked no one in particular. I hadn't thought about that and even though I really wanted to go home and just sleep I knew I couldn't just leave now. I reluctantly let go of Rosalie's and Carlisle's hands and stepped away from the circle. 'I'll stay here and help where I can. You guys go home and rest; we'll see each other later.' 'No, if one stays, we all stay. I will not lose another child today.' Esme said in a firm voice. 'Me too. I can't just leave my brother, now can I?' Emmett said with half a smirk and Rosalie nodded in agreement.

Soon enough my entire family, the Denali's, Benjamin and Tia and Jane and Alec had agreed that staying would be best for now. Aro and Marcus wanted to stay too, but I was glad that they had to go back home before someone tried to take over. Having them around, and especially Aro, would only make sure they would try to rule this world too. They were too power hungry to trust in this case.

A week had passed now and the physical wounds had all healed. Of course the vampires would have scars from where they had to reattach limbs and such, but they didn't hurt anymore. The two wolfs who had been greatly injured were almost healed and the phoenixes had all healed rapidly as well. My own injuries were part of my memory now, but the mental wounds that had been inflicted still hurt too much to bear. The only thing that kept me going each and every day was the fact that there was still so much to be done here.

The castle had been cleaned up and for some reason it had slowly come down from the sky to once again rest on the ground like a normal castle. What had remained of the battlefield was cleaned up and everyone who had died had gotten a funeral so that their loved ones could say goodbye. We had our own private funeral for Alice at which Carlisle had given Alice's family crest to Zackary. The big guy had sobbed uncontrollably during the entire ceremony and was the last to leave the burial site.

We hadn't held a ceremony for Melody yet as we hadn't found anything that might be her body or ashes. In my mind I had made it completely rational that this was a sign that she was still alive and I clamped onto this idea with all my might. She wasn't dead, she was just somewhere else. I would find her though and bring her back as soon as I was done with all the political stuff here. Carlisle and Edward had been a great help with all the papers and official business things that had to be done. I couldn't have done it without them especially since my head kept going back to my mate and where she could be.

As the days passed by, and the land started looking more and more like the way it used to be, I started planning my quest to find Melody. I had checked several books and files to see where Melody could have gone to after the explosion. A lot of books weren't really useful, but some had stories about the great bird that Melody had turned into. I quickly memorized the most believable of all the stories and was ready to go as soon as all the formal paperwork was done.

**Amera POV**

The battle from the prophecy was finally over which meant I would soon be able to rest in peace. There was, however, still one thing that I had to do before I could finally let go completely. I got off the fluffy cloud I had been sitting on and moved into the direction in which I could sense her. It was all very faint and I hoped I wouldn't be too late. This was the only thing I could do to help and failure wasn't an option. She needed me and so did he. It would be my last gift to the person who made my life worth living when I was still alive and even now.

As I flew closer and closer to my destination the air around me got hotter, but the surroundings became darker until it was entirely black around me. The only thing that kept me going was the small light source in front of me. It was the light that made the air hot and it grew bigger and bigger as I kept going towards it.

When I was about a hundred feet away from her I stopped and assessed the situation. I knew what I had to do, but I doubted whether I would be able to. It was already hot here and I would have to touch her to be able to do anything. The fear was irrational as I couldn't really be harmed, but it was still there. I took a couple of deep breaths, which gave me the feeling that my lungs were on fire, and slowly edged forward.

I was only eight feet away when she noticed me and turned around to look at me. She didn't look anything like the beautiful girl I had seen from my cloudy perch, but I knew she was still in there. I just hoped she wouldn't send me completely to the other side before I could help. 'I'm here to help.' I told her. She gave no reaction whatsoever and just kept looking at me as if she was assessing the situation. Next I moved a tiny bit forward to see how she would react to that and was instantly attacked. I was barely able to leap out of the way and an instinctive growl escaped my lips before I could stop myself. This was going to be more difficult than I had first thought and I decided that some thinking was in order before I tried anything else. There was no way I could communicate with her in this state, but there had to be a way for me to get close enough to touch her. Just one second and I could get enough of herself back that she would stop resisting.

'Need some help?' I turned around to see a petite, spiky haired, female vampire standing in front of me. She was smiling at me in a reassuring way and didn't look hostile at all. I quickly recognized her as one of my son's friends and smiled at her. 'Alice, right?' I asked though I already knew I was right. Alice nodded and made her way towards me. 'That's right,' she said. 'And you are Amera.' It wasn't a question, but I nodded in acknowledgement nonetheless. 'I've already seen what needs to be done so what do you say? Shall we give it a go?' Alice asked. I knew what her ability was and the confidence in her voice told me that whatever Alice had seen was going to work. 'Tell me what you want me to do.' I said.

Alice quickly explained what she would do which was basically distract our opponent long enough so that I could sneak up and put my hand on her. The vampire did warn me that I would be burned, but shouldn't let go. We only had one chance to do this and if it failed it meant the end for all three of us. 'Ready?' Alice asked. 'Lead the way.' Was my only reply. Alice sped off without saying anything and was soon doing everything she could to distract our target. I waited patiently for when Alice would give me her signal. It was amazing to see how the small vampire could dodge every attack that came her way, but she gave the signal soon enough which ended the show for me. Now it was my turn.

I launched myself forward at full speed and placed my hand on my target's back. I swallowed hard as the heat under my hand increased and pain shot up my arm, but I didn't let go. Instead I focused on my power and soon my hand started to glow. A second later the glowing spread from my hand and the heat became less and less until there wasn't any left. When the process had finished I removed my hand from her back and looked down upon the sleeping form of the young woman who had stolen my son's heart.

**Alice POV**

I was glad that I had made it just in time, because Amera couldn't have done this alone. It was the toughest decision ever to give myself up on the battlefield, but this was more important. She had to go back to help everyone, that's what the prophecy said. That they would rule together and that everyone would finally be able to live their lives in peace. If I hadn't done this I might still be alive, but the world would wither and die and I just couldn't bear to see my family and friends suffer just because I wanted to be selfish.

'Thanks for coming to help me. I know you sacrificed everything to be here now.' Amera said. I looked at her with a smile and shook my head. 'Don't worry about it. This was my destiny and I would do the same thing again if need be.' I told her. Amera nodded and turned back to Melody who was still fast asleep. 'How long before she wakes up?' the phoenix asked. 'Not long now. She should be waking up any second now.' Again a nod and then more silence.

We stayed that way; each of us emerged in our own thoughts, until Melody finally started to stir. First her heartbeat sped up a bit, then her breathing and finally her eyes fluttered open. She looked around in confusion, but soon sat up and looked at us as if she was seeing a ghost. 'Alice… what are you...' she trailed off here as her eyes fell on Amera. 'And who are you?' she asked. Before either of us could answer her Melody jumped up and looked around. 'Where's Jasper? I can't sense him… and where's everyone else?' She was starting to panic now and I quickly got up and put my arms around her. I pulled held her close and stroked her hair until she had calmed down a bit. 'I'll tell you everything, sis. Just calm down first.' I told her.

As soon as Melody had calmed down I released her and sat down next to Amera again. Melody sat down opposite us with a look of anticipation in her eyes. 'Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?' Amera asked. I nodded and motioned for her to start as this all started with how she ended up here. 'My name is Amera and you might not know me, but I know you Melody. I've been watching you ever since my son found you all those years ago.' Amera stopped here and watched as understanding became clear in Melody's eyes. 'You're Jasper's mother.' My sister almost gasped.

'That is correct, young one. I'm sorry to say that I passed away quite some time now, but I've watched my son every single day since I've lost my life. I saw how he fought in the southern vampire wars and how he finally broke free from there. I saw how he met Alice and how the two of them became part of the Cullen family and, of course, how you came into his life. Every single day I watched over my son, waiting for my time to help.' 'What do you mean?' Melody asked. She was clearly confused and I hoped Amera would get to the point soon. We both didn't have much time left here as our destiny was now fulfilled.

'A long time ago a seer came to me and told me of my destiny. That I would die of the phoenix flu, but wouldn't move on until I helped the mate of my son revert back to her old self.' This only confused Melody more and she turned towards me for help. 'Melody, at the end of the battle you transformed. You took on the form of the ancients to destroy the Master once and for all.' I told her. 'The form of the ancients? What do you mean?' 'You became a phoenix in every sense of the word, Mel.' I told her and I couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. 'I became a bird?' Melody asked slowly. 'Yep, you sure did.'

Melody thought this over for a second before letting a grin spread across her face. 'That's kind of cool,' she finally said. 'But… what's going to happen now? Alice, are you coming back with me?' Melody asked and I could see a bit of hope in her eyes. My smile disappeared and I shook my head. 'I'm sorry Mel, but my life is over. I have to go to with Amera, but never forget that I'll always love you and that, even though you can't see me, I will always be with you.' The last part came out a bit strangled as I tried to push back a sob that was threatening to break free.

The hope in Melody's eyes disappeared and instead came tears which were soon streaming down her face. She grabbed me and hugged me tight while her tears kept falling and soon enough we were both sobbing. 'Alice… we have to go.' Amera whispered way too soon, but I knew she was right. I reluctantly let go of my baby sister and took a step back. 'Tell Zack that I'll always love him, but that there's someone else out there for him. He's a special phoenix, just like your father was and still has a soulmate waiting for him.' I told Melody who just nodded as the tears continued to flow.

'Melody, to get back all you have to do is wait. You are still alive and just like Alice and I will be pulled to one side, you will be pulled to the other. Send my love to Jasper for me and know that I'll always be with you two.' Amera said. 'I will.' Melody croaked. She wanted to say more, but an unfamiliar, but somehow welcome force started pulling us apart. 'Bye Mel, see you when I see you!' I called as the distance between us became larger by the second. 'Alice! I'll never forget you! Love you sis!' Melody called back in a tearful voice though I could just make out a watery smile that had appeared on her face. 'And thank you!' Those were the last words I heard before a bright light enveloped Amera and me and pulled us away from the world of the living for ever.

**Jasper POV**

We were finally done with all the paperwork which meant I could finally start looking for my mate. Zackary, Emmett and Rosalie had decided to come with me for which I was grateful. It would be hard to keep up hope if I couldn't find anything, but with my siblings around I at least had some moral support. 'Ready?' Zackary asked. I turned around and looked at my brother. He was still sad about Alice's death, but was starting to heal again. His eyes were starting to regain their shine and his overall persona was brighter again. Rosalie and Emmett were standing behind him, both with a backpack on their backs. We didn't know how long we would be gone so we each had a backpack with food and water. Of course Zack and I would be the only ones eating and drinking, but if… no when we found Melody she would probably be hungry and thirsty too.

'Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go.' I said. The others nodded and we all walked to the exit of the castle. Once there we increased our speed drastically until we were all running full out. 'We're going to look from the skies. We'll still be in hearing range so if you see anything just yell.' I told Rosalie and Emmett. 'Okay bro, good luck.' Emmett replied. Zackary and I didn't waste any time and launched ourselves into the air. It always felt great to be flying, but this time I thought about that for less than a second. Instead I started looking around and concentrated on whether there was any activity in the mental link I shared with my mate.

We searched until deep into the night and I only agreed to call it a day when my stomach started growling in protest of not getting any food. When we landed Rose had already gathered some wood which I lit with a flick of my wrist and soon the smell of roasted meat entered my nostrils. 'We've covered quite a bit of land, but no sign.' Emmett said as Zackary and I were stuffing our mouths full with food. 'Maybe try a different direction tomorrow?' I nodded and swallowed hard to clear my mouth. 'I think that's a good option, but as much as I hate to say it, Zack and I need a few hours of sleep before we can continue.' 'No problem, we'll just keep watch and search a bit in the immediate area.' Rosalie said.

As Rosalie and Emmett sped off their emotions told me that they weren't going to search for the next couple of hours. I couldn't blame them though, but tried to ignore the lust they were emitting in waves. The further they ran the easier it became to ignore them and soon they were far enough so that I could sleep without getting disturbing dreams. I lay down on the ground and folded one of my wings around me like a blanket. It was a technique Zack had told me about during the day and I had to admit that it was quite comfortable.

I didn't know when I had fallen asleep, but when I woke up the fire was smouldering and both Rose and Emmett were nowhere in sight. I sat up and stretched which made my muscles protest a bit. My body still wanted sleep, but there was something that had awoken me prematurely and I wanted to know what. It couldn't have been my brother and sister as they weren't here or anywhere near here. I could just faintly sense their emotions, but they were so muddled that they were probably a mile or two away from here.

Zackary was still snoring next to me so I scratched him of the list of things that could have awoken me. I had gotten used to his snoring ever since he started living in the Cullen house so it didn't really bother me anymore. No, there had been something else that had awoken me. Some kind of bright light, but it was gone now.

Deciding that Zack would probably sleep until morning I started walking in the direction where the light had come from. As I moved closer and closer towards the area something very familiar came back to me. The link I had lost ever since my mate had turned into that bird was returning little by little. This made me walk faster by the second until I was running at top speed. I was unable to hold back as the link grew stronger with each step I took. _Mel! Can you hear me?_ I called out through our link. Some murmurs came back to me with only the last word coming through clearly. _…here. _Was all I heard, but it was more than enough for me.

With a few more steps the emotions got stable enough for me to sense what she was feeling. Melody was confused, sad, happy, tired and above all else stood her love. _Jasper? Can you hear me now?_ She asked in a faint voice. _Yes, I can hear you. You're voice is getting stronger and stronger by the second. Mel, where are you?_ It was hard to keep my excitement in check now. All I wanted to do was finding her and never let her go.

Melody didn't answer with words, but instead showed me a picture of where she was now. I could see a small clearing with a brook running through it. _Got it._ I told Mel and concentrated on the sound of running water. I soon picked up on it and noticed that it was a bit to the left from where I was going. I quickly redirected myself and sped forward. When the trees started thinning around me I put on a last burst of speed, which I didn't even know I still had, and within two seconds I was standing in the clearing.

There, at the edge of the brook, stood Melody. She was wearing the same clothes as she had the day of the fight. The only difference was that her curling hair now hung loose down her back and swayed in the wind instead of being in a ponytail. I just stood there, looking at my mate. Before I could say anything Melody turned around and looked at me. She began at my feet, then up my legs, torso and finally her eyes rested on mine. The emotions I had felt earlier were clear in her eyes, but soon only one emotion remained. Love was the dominant emotion and it radiated from her. Her golden red eyes began to sparkle and a smile spread across her face.

The next thing I knew was that I was holding her tight to me while tears streamed down my face. We sank to the ground and just sat there. Holding, crying, laughing, kissing and crying again. 'Mel, I missed you so much.' I finally said. 'I missed you too. It was all so strange and confusing, but there were two people who helped me find the way back.' Melody replied. I gave her a questioning look and motioned for her to explain. 'Alice was there and… and your mother.' Melody stopped there and looked at me to see what my reaction would be. 'My… mother?' I half mumbled. 'Yes, she said she had been waiting for this moment. That it was her destiny to help me get back to you. Alice helped as well and together they helped me regain myself again and to find my way back here.'

'So Alice surprised us until the very end.' I half chuckled. It was still hard to accept that Alice was really gone, but she wouldn't want us to cry about her forever. She would want us to live our lives to the fullest and that was exactly what I was going to do. 'Amera, your mom, sends her love and told me that she would always look out for us. I've only been able to talk to her for a short time, but she was a kind and lovely woman. You were lucky to have a mother like that Jasper.' 'I know. She taught me everything I needed to know and was always there for me even after she died. Thank you, mom. I'll never forget you.' I directed the last part to the sky and thought I saw a star shine a bit brighter.

After that Melody and I just sat together in physical silence. Of course we were talking about all that had happened through our link, but we didn't want to say anything out loud. When the sky began to get brighter I got up reluctantly and pulled Melody with me. 'We should go back to Zackary, Rose and Emmett.' I sighed. I knew that we had to go back, but I'd prefer to stay here a while longer. Melody was feeling the same way, but she didn't say anything. _Mel, before we go I have one thing to ask you._ I said in a serious tone. _What is it?_ Melody send me confusion and curiosity. _I never want to lose you again, and even though I know that we might not be able to spend every second of our lives together, I still want to know that you'll be mine forever. _

Melody her confusion increased and then shock rang through her as I got down on one knee and held her left hand in both of mine. 'Melody Cullen, will you marry me?' I asked out loud. Melody's shock increased, but quickly changed to immense happiness and love. 'Yes… yes Jasper, I will marry you.' Melody whispered. I quickly took the small jewellery box from my pocket and opened it. Melody's hand was trembling slightly as I put the ring around her finger. 'Jasper, it's beautiful.' She whispered, unable to speak out loud because of the tears that were threatening to fall down. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips softly to mine. I wanted to deepen the kiss when someone's concern hit me hard. I pulled back reluctantly and smiled at my future wife. 'It seems our siblings are worried.' I chuckled. 'I guess we have no choice but to go to them then.' Melody sighed in mock frustration. I took Melody's hand and together we started running in the direction of the emotions we were sensing. As I looked down at our locked hands and the ring on Melody's finger I couldn't help, but smile. After everything that had happened things were finally looking up and I was going to make sure it stayed that way. I knew that ruling an entire race wasn't going to be easy, but the phoenixes were all behind me since the battle and I knew that I could do it as long as Melody was at my side.

**The End**

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**So... that was it. After almost a year and a half this story has finally come to an end. I want to thank everyone who's read this story from beginning until the end. Thanks to everyone who put the story on Alert or listed it as their Favourite and of course thanks to everyone who put me as author on their Alert and/or Favourite lists.**

**To everyone who as reviewed the chapters I posted: Thank you so much! You guys were and still are the best. I couldn't have finished this without all your wonderful reviews and feedback! **

**And one very special thanks (and a bow) to my most dedicated reviewer: Isabel Southwell. I can't say thank you enough for all the reviews and feedback you send me. Every single chapter, from start to finish, has a review with you name on it. Every time I updated I looked forward to your review and you never disappointed. So I bow to you Isabel! Thank you!**

**~Marieke~**

**ps. For anyone who would like to read more of my stories: I have two other stories online, both with 4 chapters. One is a Twilight/Percy Jackson crossover and the other a Bleach/Harry Potter crossover. **

**I might also start another Twilight only story, but I'll have to wait for inspiration to hit me for that one. Just check my profile every now and then to find out when that is ;)**


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